Cover plate for a hazard detector having improved air flow and other characteristics

ABSTRACT

According to one embodiment, a hazard detector may include a housing having a back plate and a front casing coupled therewith to define an interior space within which various components are contained. The components may include an alarm device and a hazard sensor that is configured to detect a potentially hazardous condition to trigger the alarm device. A cover plate may be coupled with the housing and may face an occupant of a room in which the hazard detector is positioned. The cover plate may include a relatively large population of relatively small openings that are positioned, configured, and dimensioned so that internal components are substantially hidden from view of the occupant while air is allowed to substantially freely flow through the cover plate. A collective area of the openings may be at least 30% of the total area of the cover plate.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No.61/704,437 filed Sep. 21, 2012 entitled “Devices, Methods, andAssociated Information Processing for the Smart-Sensored Home,” theentire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, for allpurposes, as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Some homes today are equipped with smart home networks to provideautomated control of devices, appliances and systems, such as heating,ventilation, and air conditioning (“HVAC”) system, lighting systems,alarm systems, home theater and entertainment systems. Smart homenetworks may include control panels that a person may use to inputsettings, preferences, and scheduling information that the smart homenetwork uses to provide automated control the various devices,appliances and systems in the home. For example, a person may input adesired temperature and a schedule indicating when the person is awayfrom home. The home automation system uses this information to controlthe HVAC system to heat or cool the home to the desired temperature whenthe person is home, and to conserve energy by turning offpower-consuming components of the HVAC system when the person is awayfrom the home. Also, for example, a person may input a preferrednighttime lighting scheme for watching television. In response, when theperson turns on the television at nighttime, the home automation systemautomatically adjusts the lighting in the room to the preferred scheme.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention provide various hazard detector devicesthat may be used within a home, building, or structure to warn occupantsof the home, building, or structure of a potential danger. In oneembodiment, a hazard detector for use in a building or structure fordetecting a hazard is described. The hazard detector includes a backplate that is couplable with a wall of the building or structure tosecure the hazard detector relative thereto. A front casing is coupledwith the back plate to define an interior region within which componentsof the hazard detector are contained. A circuit board is mounted on theback plate and a plurality of components is coupled therewith so as tosupport and electrically couple the components.

An alarm device is mounted on the circuit board. The alarm device isactivatable upon the detection of a hazard to warn an occupant of thebuilding or structure of a potential danger. A hazard sensor is alsocoupled with the circuit board. The hazard sensor has one or morecomponents that are configured to detect a potentially hazardouscondition so as to trigger the alarm device. One or more other sensorsmay also be mounted on the circuit board and electrically coupledtherewith. The one or more other sensors may be configured to detect thepresence and/or movement of objects and/or persons external to thehazard detector.

A cover plate is coupled with the front casing so as to face an occupantof a room or area in which the hazard detector is positioned. The coverplate includes a relatively large population of relatively smallopenings. The openings are positioned, configured, and dimensioned suchthat (A) internal components are substantially hidden from view of theoccupant, while (B) air is allowed to substantially freely flow to theone or more internal components through the cover plate in a relativelyunimpeded manner, and while (C) the one or more sensors are capable ofso detecting the objects and/or persons from behind the cover plate. Inone embodiment, a collective area of the openings may be at least 30% ofthe cover plate.

In one embodiment, the front casing may also include a relatively largepopulation of relatively small openings. In such embodiments, air may beallowed or capable of substantially freely flowing to the one or moreinternal components through the cover plate and front casing in arelatively unimpeded manner. In one embodiment, a collective area of theopenings of the front casing may be at least 20% of the front casing.The back plate may also include a plurality of openings so that air isallowed to substantially freely flow to the one or more internalcomponents in a relatively unimpeded manner through the cover plate, thefront casing, and the back plate. In one embodiment, the one or moreother sensors may be positioned between the front casing and the coverplate while the hazard sensor is positioned behind the front casing. Inone embodiment, the front casing may be at least 2 mm thickPolycarbonate (PC) and/or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plasticand a collective area of the openings of the front casing may be betweenabout 20% and 40% of the front casing.

In another embodiment, a collective area of the openings of the coverplate may be at least 40% of the cover plate. In yet another embodiment,a collective area of the openings of the cover plate may be at least 50%of the cover plate. In still a further embodiment, a collective area ofthe openings of the cover plate may be at least 60% of the cover plate.The one or more other sensors may include ultrasonic sensors that arepositioned through apertures in front casing so as to be adjacent thecover plate. The openings of the cover plate and/or front casing may bearranged according to a repeating pattern, such as a Fibonacci sequence.In one embodiment, the hazard sensor may be a smoke chamber that isconfigured to detect the presence of smoke.

According to another embodiment, a hazard detector is described. Thehazard detector includes a housing having a back plate coupled with afront casing to define an interior space within which components of thehazard detector are contained. The components include, among otherthings, an alarm device that is activatable so as to audibly warn anoccupant of a potential danger and a hazard sensor having one or morecomponents configured to detect a potentially hazardous condition so asto trigger the alarm device. A cover plate is coupled with the housingso as to face an occupant of a room or area in which the hazard detectoris positioned. The cover plate includes a relatively large population ofrelatively small openings, which are positioned, configured, anddimensioned so that internal components are substantially hidden fromview of the occupant while air is allowed to substantially freely flowto the one or more internal components through the cover plate in arelatively unimpeded manner. In one embodiment, a collective area of theopenings is at least 30% of the cover plate.

In one embodiment, the front casing may also include a relatively largepopulation of relatively small openings so that air is substantiallyfreely flowable to the one or more internal components through the coverplate and front casing in a relatively unimpeded manner. A collectivearea of the openings of the front casing may be at least 20% of thefront casing.

In one embodiment, a collective area of the openings of the cover platemay be at least 40% of the cover plate. In another embodiment, acollective area of the openings of the cover plate may be at least 50%of the cover plate. In yet another embodiment, a collective area of theopenings of the cover plate may be at least 60% of the cover plate. Thehazard sensor may be a smoke chamber that is configured to detect thepresence of smoke.

According to another embodiment, a method of using a hazard detector isdescribed. The method may include providing a hazard detector. Thehazard detector may include a back plate, a front casing coupled withthe back plate, a circuit board mounted on the back plate, an alarmdevice mounted on the circuit board, a hazard sensor coupled with thecircuit board, one or more sensors mounted on the circuit board andelectrically coupled therewith, and a cover plate coupled with the frontcasing in accordance with any of the embodiments described herein. Thecover plate may include a relatively large population of relativelysmall openings in accordance with any of the embodiments describedherein and for any of the reasons described herein. The method may alsoinclude operating the hazard detector to detect a potentially hazardouscondition.

According to another embodiment, a method for manufacturing a hazarddetector is described. The method includes providing a back plate, whichis couplable with a wall of a structure to secure the hazard detector tothe structure. The method also includes coupling a front casing with theback plate to define an interior region within which components of thehazard detector are contained. The method further includes coupling acircuit board with the back plate and mounting a hazard sensor on thecircuit board. The hazard sensor may include one or more components thatare configured to detect a potentially hazardous condition so as totrigger an alarm device. The method may additionally include mountingone or more additional sensors on the circuit board. The one or moreadditional sensors may be configured to detect the presence and/ormovement of objects and/or persons external to the hazard detector.

The method may additionally include coupling a cover plate with thefront casing so that the cover plate faces an occupant of a room or areain which the hazard detector is positioned. The cover plate may includea relatively large population of relatively small openings, which arepositioned, configured, and dimensioned such that (A) internalcomponents are substantially hidden from view of the occupant, while (B)air is allowed to substantially freely flow to the one or more internalcomponents through the cover plate in a relatively unimpeded manner, andwhile (C) the one or more additional sensors are capable of detectingthe objects and/or persons from behind the cover plate. In oneembodiment, a collective area of the openings may be at least 30% of thecover plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in conjunction with the appendedfigures:

FIG. 1 an example of a smart-home environment within which one or moreof the devices, methods, systems, services, and/or computer programproducts described further herein will be applicable, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a network-level view of an extensible devices andservices platform with which the smart-home environment of FIG. 1 can beintegrated, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates an abstracted functional view of the extensibledevices and services platform of FIG. 2, with reference to a processingengine as well as devices of the smart-home environment, according to anembodiment.

FIGS. 4A-F illustrate various perspective exploded and assembled viewsand a cross section view of an intelligent, multi-sensing,network-connected hazard detector, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 5A-B illustrate front and rear perspective views of a mountingplate of the hazard detector of FIGS. 4A-F, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 6A-B illustrate front and rear perspective views of a back plateof the hazard detector of FIGS. 4A-F, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 7A-E illustrate front and rear perspective views of a smokechamber of the hazard detector of FIGS. 4A-F, according to anembodiment.

FIGS. 7F-G illustrate top and/or bottom surfaces of the smoke chamber ofFIGS. 7A-E that include baffles through which air and smoke may flow,according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 8A-B illustrate front and rear perspective views of a protectiveplate of the hazard detector of FIGS. 4A-F, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 9A-B illustrate front and rear perspective views of a circuitboard of the hazard detector of FIGS. 4A-F, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 9C-D illustrate front and rear perspective views of a speaker thatis mountable on the circuit board of the hazard detector of FIGS. 9A-B,according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 10A-B illustrate front and rear perspective views of a batterypack of the hazard detector of FIGS. 4A-F, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 11A-B illustrate front and rear perspective views of a frontcasing of the hazard detector of FIGS. 4A-F, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 12A-B illustrate front and rear perspective views of a lens buttonof the hazard detector of FIGS. 4A-F, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 12C-D illustrate front and rear perspective views of a light guideof the hazard detector of FIGS. 4A-F, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 12E-F illustrate front and rear perspective views of a flexiblestrip of the hazard detector of FIGS. 4A-F, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 13A-B illustrate front and rear perspective views of a cover plateof the hazard detector of FIGS. 4A-F, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 14A-B illustrate a schematic diagram of a silence gesture forremotely deactivating an alarm, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 15 illustrates a method of manufacturing a hazard or smoke detectorand/or a method of use thereof, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 16 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of a computersystem.

FIG. 17 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of aspecial-purpose computer.

In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have thesame numerical reference label. Further, various components of the sametype may be distinguished by following the reference label by a letterthat distinguishes among the similar components and/or features. If onlythe first numerical reference label is used in the specification, thedescription is applicable to any one of the similar components and/orfeatures having the same first numerical reference label irrespective ofthe letter suffix.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and is notintended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of thedisclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodimentswill provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description forimplementing one or more exemplary embodiments. It being understood thatvarious changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elementswithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the appended claims.

Specific details are given in the following description to provide athorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will beunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments maybe practiced without these specific details. For example, circuits,systems, networks, processes, and other elements in the invention may beshown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure theembodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-knowncircuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shownwithout unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be described as aprocess which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flowdiagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchartmay describe the operations as a sequential process, many of theoperations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition,the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process may beterminated when its operations are completed, but could have additionalsteps not discussed or included in a figure. Furthermore, not alloperations in any particularly described process may occur in allembodiments. A process may correspond to a method, a function, aprocedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process correspondsto a function, its termination corresponds to a return of the functionto the calling function or the main function.

The term “machine-readable medium” includes, but is not limited toportable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, wirelesschannels and various other mediums capable of storing, containing orcarrying instruction(s) and/or data. A code segment ormachine-executable instructions may represent a procedure, a function, asubprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a softwarepackage, a class, or any combination of instructions, data structures,or program statements. A code segment may be coupled to another codesegment or a hardware circuit by passing and/or receiving information,data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments,parameters, data, etc. may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted via anysuitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token passing,network transmission, etc.

Furthermore, embodiments of the invention may be implemented, at leastin part, either manually or automatically. Manual or automaticimplementations may be executed, or at least assisted, through the useof machines, hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode,hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. Whenimplemented in software, firmware, middleware or microcode, the programcode or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in amachine readable medium. A processor(s) may perform the necessary tasks.

Turning to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a smart-homeenvironment 100 within which one or more of the devices, methods,systems, services, and/or computer program products described furtherherein can be applicable. The depicted smart-home environment 100includes a structure 150, which can include, e.g., a house, officebuilding, garage, or mobile home. It will be appreciated that devicescan also be integrated into a smart-home environment 100 that does notinclude an entire structure 150, such as an apartment, condominium, oroffice space. Further, the smart home environment can control and/or becoupled to devices outside of the actual structure 150. Indeed, severaldevices in the smart home environment need not physically be within thestructure 150 at all. For example, a device controlling a pool heater orirrigation system can be located outside of the structure 150.

The depicted structure 150 includes a plurality of rooms 152, separatedat least partly from each other via walls 154. The walls 154 can includeinterior walls or exterior walls. Each room can further include a floor156 and a ceiling 158. Devices can be mounted on, integrated with and/orsupported by a wall 154, floor 156 or ceiling 158.

In some embodiments, the smart-home environment 100 of FIG. 1 includes aplurality of devices, including intelligent, multi-sensing,network-connected devices, that can integrate seamlessly with each otherand/or with a central server or a cloud-computing system to provide anyof a variety of useful smart-home objectives. The smart-home environment100 may include one or more intelligent, multi-sensing,network-connected thermostats 102 (herein after referred to as “smartthermostats 102”), one or more intelligent, network-connected,multi-sensing hazard detection units 104 (herein after referred to as“smart hazard detectors 104”), and one or more intelligent,multi-sensing, network-connected entryway interface devices 106 (hereinafter referred to as “smart doorbells 104”). According to embodiments,the smart thermostat 102 detects ambient climate characteristics (e.g.,temperature and/or humidity) and controls a HVAC system 103 accordingly.The smart hazard detector 104 may detect the presence of a hazardoussubstance or a substance indicative of a hazardous substance (e.g.,smoke, fire, or carbon monoxide). The smart doorbell 106 may detect aperson's approach to or departure from a location (e.g., an outer door),control doorbell functionality, announce a person's approach ordeparture via audio or visual means, or control settings on a securitysystem (e.g., to activate or deactivate the security system whenoccupant go and come).

In some embodiments, the smart-home environment 100 of FIG. 1 furtherincludes one or more intelligent, multi-sensing, network-connected wallswitches 108 (herein after referred to as “smart wall switches 108”),along with one or more intelligent, multi-sensing, network-connectedwall plug interfaces 110 (herein after referred to as “smart wall plugs110”). The smart wall switches 108 may detect ambient lightingconditions, detect room-occupancy states, and control a power and/or dimstate of one or more lights. In some instances, smart wall switches 108may also control a power state or speed of a fan, such as a ceiling fan.The smart wall plugs 110 may detect occupancy of a room or enclosure andcontrol supply of power to one or more wall plugs (e.g., such that poweris not supplied to the plug if nobody is at home).

Still further, in some embodiments, the smart-home environment 100 ofFIG. 1 includes a plurality of intelligent, multi-sensing,network-connected appliances 112 (herein after referred to as “smartappliances 112”), such as refrigerators, stoves and/or ovens,televisions, washers, dryers, lights, stereos, intercom systems,garage-door openers, floor fans, ceiling fans, wall air conditioners,pool heaters, irrigation systems, security systems, and so forth.According to embodiments, the network-connected appliances 112 are madecompatible with the smart-home environment by cooperating with therespective manufacturers of the appliances. For example, the appliancescan be space heaters, window AC unites, motorized duct vents, etc. Whenplugged in, an appliance can announce itself to the smart-home network,such as by indicating what type of appliance it is, and it canautomatically integrate with the controls of the smart-home. Suchcommunication by the appliance to the smart home can be facilitated byany wired or wireless communication protocols known by those havingordinary skill in the art. The smart home also can include a variety ofnon-communicating legacy appliances 140, such as old conventionalwasher/dryers, refrigerators, and the like which can be controlled,albeit coarsely (ON/OFF), by virtue of the smart wall plugs 110. Thesmart-home environment 100 can further include a variety of partiallycommunicating legacy appliances 142, such as infrared (“IR”) controlledwall air conditioners or other IR-controlled devices, which can becontrolled by IR signals provided by the smart hazard detectors 104 orthe smart wall switches 108.

According to embodiments, the smart thermostats 102, the smart hazarddetectors 104, the smart doorbells 106, the smart wall switches 108, thesmart wall plugs 110, and other devices of the smart-home environment100 are modular and can be incorporated into older and new houses. Forexample, the devices are designed around a modular platform consistingof two basic components: a head unit and a back plate, which is alsoreferred to as a docking station. Multiple configurations of the dockingstation are provided so as to be compatible with any home, such as olderand newer homes. However, all of the docking stations include a standardhead-connection arrangement, such that any head unit can be removablyattached to any docking station. Thus, in some embodiments, the dockingstations are interfaces that serve as physical connections to thestructure and the voltage wiring of the homes, and the interchangeablehead units contain all of the sensors, processors, user interfaces, thebatteries, and other functional components of the devices.

Many different commercial and functional possibilities for provisioning,maintenance, and upgrade are possible. For example, after years of usingany particular head unit, a user will be able to buy a new version ofthe head unit and simply plug it into the old docking station. There arealso many different versions for the head units, such as low-costversions with few features, and then a progression ofincreasingly-capable versions, up to and including extremely fancy headunits with a large number of features. Thus, it should be appreciatedthat the various versions of the head units can all be interchangeable,with any of them working when placed into any docking station. This canadvantageously encourage sharing and re-deployment of old head units—forexample, when an important high-capability head unit, such as a hazarddetector, is replaced by a new version of the head unit, then the oldhead unit can be re-deployed to a backroom or basement, etc. Accordingto embodiments, when first plugged into a docking station, the head unitcan ask the user (by 2D LCD display, 2D/3D holographic projection, voiceinteraction, etc.) a few simple questions such as, “Where am I” and theuser can indicate “living room”, “kitchen” and so forth.

The smart-home environment 100 may also include communication withdevices outside of the physical home but within a proximate geographicalrange of the home. For example, the smart-home environment 100 mayinclude a pool heater monitor 114 that communicates a current pooltemperature to other devices within the smart-home environment 100 orreceives commands for controlling the pool temperature. Similarly, thesmart-home environment 100 may include an irrigation monitor 116 thatcommunicates information regarding irrigation systems within thesmart-home environment 100 and/or receives control information forcontrolling such irrigation systems. According to embodiments, analgorithm is provided for considering the geographic location of thesmart-home environment 100, such as based on the zip code or geographiccoordinates of the home. The geographic information is then used toobtain data helpful for determining optimal times for watering; suchdata may include sun location information, temperature, due point, soiltype of the land on which the home is located, etc.

By virtue of network connectivity, one or more of the smart-home devicesof FIG. 1 can further allow a user to interact with the device even ifthe user is not proximate to the device. For example, a user cancommunicate with a device using a computer (e.g., a desktop computer,laptop computer, or tablet) or other portable electronic device (e.g., asmartphone) 166. A webpage or app can be configured to receivecommunications from the user and control the device based on thecommunications and/or to present information about the device'soperation to the user. For example, the user can view a current setpointtemperature for a device and adjust it using a computer. The user can bein the structure during this remote communication or outside thestructure.

As discussed, users can control the smart thermostat and other smartdevices in the smart-home environment 100 using a network-connectedcomputer or portable electronic device 166. In some examples, some orall of the occupants (e.g., individuals who live in the home) canregister their device 166 with the smart-home environment 100. Suchregistration can be made at a central server to authenticate theoccupant and/or the device as being associated with the home and to givepermission to the occupant to use the device to control the smartdevices in the home. An occupant can use their registered device 166 toremotely control the smart devices of the home, such as when theoccupant is at work or on vacation. The occupant may also use theirregistered device to control the smart devices when the occupant isactually located inside the home, such as when the occupant sitting on acouch inside the home. It should be appreciated that instead of or inaddition to registering devices 166, the smart-home environment 100makes inferences about which individuals live in the home and aretherefore occupants and which devices 166 are associated with thoseindividuals. As such, the smart-home environment “learns” who is anoccupant and permits the devices 166 associated with those individualsto control the smart devices of the home.

In some instances, guests desire to control the smart devices. Forexample, the smart-home environment may receive communication from anunregistered mobile device of an individual inside of the home, wheresaid individual is not recognized as an occupant of the home. Further,for example, smart-home environment may receive communication from amobile device of an individual who is known to be or who is registeredas a guest.

According to embodiments, a guest-layer of controls can be provided toguests of the smart-home environment 100. The guest-layer of controlsgives guests access to basic controls (e.g., a judicially selectedsubset of features of the smart devices), such as temperatureadjustments, but it locks out other functionalities. The guest layer ofcontrols can be thought of as a “safe sandbox” in which guests havelimited controls, but they do not have access to more advanced controlsthat could fundamentally alter, undermine, damage, or otherwise impairthe occupant-desired operation of the smart devices. For example, theguest layer of controls won't permit the guest to adjust the heat-pumplockout temperature.

A use case example of this is when a guest in a smart home, the guestcould walk up to the thermostat and turn the dial manually, but theguest may not want to walk the house “hunting” the thermostat,especially at night while the home is dark and others are sleeping.Further, the guest may not want to go through the hassle of downloadingthe necessary application to their device for remotely controlling thethermostat. In fact, the guest may not have to the home owner's logincredentials, etc., and therefore cannot remotely control the thermostatvia such an application. Accordingly, according to embodiments of theinvention, the guest can open a mobile browser on their mobile device,type a keyword, such as “NEST” into the URL field and tap “Go” or“Search”, etc. In response the device presents with guest with a userinterface, such as Thermozilla UI, which allows the guest to move thetarget temperature between a limited range, such as 65 and 80 degreesFahrenheit. As discussed, the user interface provides a guest layer ofcontrols that are limited to basic functions. The guest cannot changethe target humidity, modes, or view energy history.

According to embodiments, to enable guests to access the user interfacethat provides the guest layer of controls, a local webserver is providedthat is accessible in the local area network (LAN). It does not requirea password, because physical presence inside the home is establishedreliably enough by the guest's presence on the LAN. In some embodiments,during installation of the smart device, such as the smart thermostat,the home owner is asked if they want to enable a Local Web App (LWA) onthe smart device. Business owners will likely say no; home owners willlikely say yes. When the LWA option is selected, the smart devicebroadcasts to the LAN that the above referenced keyword, such as “NEST”,is now a host alias for its local web server. Thus, no matter whose homea guest goes to, that same keyword (e.g., “NEST” is always the URL youuse to access the LWA, provided the smart device is purchased from thesame manufacturer. Further, according to embodiments, if there is morethan one smart device on the LAN, the second and subsequent smartdevices do not offer to set up another LWA. Instead, they registerthemselves as target candidates with the master LWA. And in this casethe LWA user would be asked which smart device they want to change thetemperature on before getting the simplified user interface, such asThermozilla UI, for the particular smart device they choose.

According to embodiments, a guest layer of controls may also be providedto users by means other than a device 166. For example, the smartdevice, such as the smart thermostat, may be equipped withwalkup-identification technology (e.g., face recognition, RFID,ultrasonic sensors) that “fingerprints” or creates a “signature” for theoccupants of the home. The walkup-identification technology can be thesame as or similar to the fingerprinting and signature creatingtechniques descripted in other sections of this application. Inoperation, when a person who does not live in the home or is otherwisenot registered with or whose fingerprint or signature is not recognizedby the smart home “walks up” to a smart device, the smart devicesprovides the guest with the guest layer of controls, rather than fullcontrols.

As described below, the smart thermostat and other smart devices “learn”by observing occupant behavior. For example, the smart thermostat learnsoccupants preferred temperature set-points for mornings and evenings,and it learns when the occupants are asleep or awake, as well as whenthe occupants are typically away or at home, for example. According toembodiments, when a guest controls the smart devices, such as the smartthermostat, the smart devices do not “learn” from the guest. Thisprevents the guest's adjustments and controls from affecting the learnedpreferences of the occupants.

According to some embodiments, a smart television remote control isprovided. The smart remote control recognizes occupants by thumbprint,visual identification, RFID, etc., and it recognizes users as guests oras someone belonging to a particular class having limited control andaccess (e.g., child). Upon recognizing the user as a guest or someonebelonging to a limited class, the smart remote control only permits thatuser to view a subset of channels and to make limited adjustments to thesettings of the television and other devices. For example, a guestcannot adjust the digital video recorder (DVR) settings, and a child islimited to viewing child-appropriate programming.

According to some embodiments, similar controls are provided for otherinstruments, utilities, and devices in the house. For example, sinks,bathtubs, and showers can be controlled by smart spigots that recognizeusers as guests or as children and therefore prevents water fromexceeding a designated temperature that is considered safe.

In some embodiments, in addition to containing processing and sensingcapabilities, each of the devices 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, and116 (collectively referred to as “the smart devices”) is capable of datacommunications and information sharing with any other of the smartdevices, as well as to any central server or cloud-computing system orany other device that is network-connected anywhere in the world. Therequired data communications can be carried out using any of a varietyof custom or standard wireless protocols (Wi-Fi, ZigBee, 6LoWPAN, etc.)and/or any of a variety of custom or standard wired protocols (CAT6Ethernet, HomePlug, etc.)

According to embodiments, all or some of the smart devices can serve aswireless or wired repeaters. For example, a first one of the smartdevices can communicate with a second one of the smart device via awireless router 160. The smart devices can further communicate with eachother via a connection to a network, such as the Internet 162. Throughthe Internet 162, the smart devices can communicate with a centralserver or a cloud-computing system 164. The central server orcloud-computing system 164 can be associated with a manufacturer,support entity, or service provider associated with the device. For oneembodiment, a user may be able to contact customer support using adevice itself rather than needing to use other communication means suchas a telephone or Internet-connected computer. Further, software updatescan be automatically sent from the central server or cloud-computingsystem 164 to devices (e.g., when available, when purchased, or atroutine intervals).

According to embodiments, the smart devices combine to create a meshnetwork of spokesman and low-power nodes in the smart-home environment100, where some of the smart devices are “spokesman” nodes and othersare “low-powered” nodes. Some of the smart devices in the smart-homeenvironment 100 are battery powered, while others have a regular andreliable power source, such as by connecting to wiring (e.g., to 120Vline voltage wires) behind the walls 154 of the smart-home environment.The smart devices that have a regular and reliable power source arereferred to as “spokesman” nodes. These nodes are equipped with thecapability of using any wireless protocol or manner to facilitatebidirectional communication with any of a variety of other devices inthe smart-home environment 100 as well as with the central server orcloud-computing system 164. On the other hand, the devices that arebattery powered are referred to as “low-power” nodes. These nodes tendto be smaller than spokesman nodes and can only communicate usingwireless protocol that requires very little power, such as Zigbee,6LoWPAN, etc. Further, some, but not all, low-power nodes are incapableof bidirectional communication. These low-power nodes send messages, butthey are unable to “listen”. Thus, other devices in the smart-homeenvironment 100, such as the spokesman nodes, cannot send information tothese low-power nodes.

As described, the smart devices serve as low-power and spokesman nodesto create a mesh network in the smart-home environment 100. Individuallow-power nodes in the smart-home environment regularly send outmessages regarding what they are sensing, and the other low-powerednodes in the smart-home environment—in addition to sending out their ownmessages—repeat the messages, thereby causing the messages to travelfrom node to node (i.e., device to device) throughout the smart-homeenvironment 100. The spokesman nodes in the smart-home environment 100are able to “drop down” to low-powered communication protocols toreceive these messages, translate the messages to other communicationprotocols, and send the translated messages to other spokesman nodesand/or the central server or cloud-computing system 164. Thus, thelow-powered nodes using low-power communication protocols are able sendmessages across the entire smart-home environment 100 as well as overthe Internet 162 to the central server or cloud-computing system 164.According to embodiments, the mesh network enables the central server orcloud-computing system 164 regularly receive data from all of the smartdevices in the home, make inferences based on the data, and sendcommands back to individual one of the smart devices to accomplish someof the smart-home objectives descried herein.

As described, the spokesman nodes and some of the low-powered nodes arecapable of “listening”. Accordingly, users, other devices, and thecentral server or cloud-computing system 164 can communicate controls tothe low-powered nodes. For example, a user can use the portableelectronic device (e.g., a smartphone) 166 to send commands over theInternet to the central server or cloud-computing system 164, which thenrelays the commands to the spokesman nodes in the smart-home environment100. The spokesman nodes drop down to a low-power protocol tocommunicate the commands to the low-power nodes throughout thesmart-home environment, as well as to other spokesman nodes that did notreceive the commands directly from the central server or cloud-computingsystem 164.

An example of a low-power node is a smart nightlight 170. In addition tohousing a light source, the smart nightlight 170 houses an occupancysensor, such as an ultrasonic or passive IR sensor, and an ambient lightsensor, such as a photoresistor or a single-pixel sensor that measureslight in the room. In some embodiments, the smart nightlight 170 isconfigured to activate the light source when its ambient light sensordetects that the room is dark and when its occupancy sensor detects thatsomeone is in the room. In other embodiments, the smart nightlight 170is simply configured to activate the light source when its ambient lightsensor detects that the room is dark. Further, according to embodiments,the smart nightlight 170 includes a low-power wireless communicationchip (e.g., ZigBee chip) that regularly sends out messages regarding theoccupancy of the room and the amount of light in the room, includinginstantaneous messages coincident with the occupancy sensor detectingthe presence of a person in the room. As mentioned above, these messagesmay be sent wirelessly, using the mesh network, from node to node (i.e.,smart device to smart device) within the smart-home environment 100 aswell as over the Internet 162 to the central server or cloud-computingsystem 164.

Other examples of low-powered nodes include battery-operated versions ofthe smart hazard detectors 104. These smart hazard detectors 104 areoften located in an area without access to constant and reliable powerand, as discussed in detail below, may include any number and type ofsensors, such as smoke/fire/heat sensors, carbon monoxide/dioxidesensors, occupancy/motion sensors, ambient light sensors, temperaturesensors, humidity sensors, and the like. Furthermore, smart hazarddetectors 104 can send messages that correspond to each of therespective sensors to the other devices and the central server orcloud-computing system 164, such as by using the mesh network asdescribed above.

Examples of spokesman nodes include smart doorbells 106, smartthermostats 102, smart wall switches 108, and smart wall plugs 110.These devices 102, 106, 108, and 110 are often located near andconnected to a reliable power source, and therefore can include morepower-consuming components, such as one or more communication chipscapable of bidirectional communication in any variety of protocols.

In some embodiments, these low-powered and spokesman nodes (e.g.,devices 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, and 170) can function as“tripwires” for an alarm system in the smart-home environment. Forexample, in the event a perpetrator circumvents detection by alarmsensors located at windows, doors, and other entry points of thesmart-home environment 100, the alarm could be triggered upon receivingan occupancy, motion, heat, sound, etc. message from one or more of thelow-powered and spokesman nodes in the mesh network. For example, uponreceiving a message from a smart nightlight 170 indicating the presenceof a person, the central server or cloud-computing system 164 or someother device could trigger an alarm, provided the alarm is armed at thetime of detection. Thus, the alarm system could be enhanced by variouslow-powered and spokesman nodes located throughout the smart-homeenvironment 100. In this example, a user could enhance the security ofthe smart-home environment 100 by buying and installing extra smartnightlights 170.

In some embodiments, the mesh network can be used to automatically turnon and off lights as a person transitions from room to room. Forexample, the low-powered and spokesman nodes (e.g., devices 102, 104,106, 108, 110, 112, and 170) detect the person's movement through thesmart-home environment and communicate corresponding messages throughthe mesh network. Using the messages that indicate which rooms areoccupied, the central server or cloud-computing system 164 or some otherdevice activates and deactivates the smart wall switches 108 toautomatically provide light as the person moves from room to room in thesmart-home environment 100. Further, users may provide pre-configurationinformation that indicates which smart wall plugs 110 provide power tolamps and other light sources, such as the smart nightlight 170.Alternatively, this mapping of light sources to wall plugs 110 can bedone automatically (e.g., the smart wall plugs 110 detect when a lightsource is plugged into it, and it sends a corresponding message to thecentral server or cloud-computing system 164). Using this mappinginformation in combination with messages that indicate which rooms areoccupied, the central server or cloud-computing system 164 or some otherdevice activates and deactivates the smart wall plugs 110 that providepower to lamps and other light sources so as to track the person'smovement and provide light as the person moves from room to room.

In some embodiments, the mesh network of low-powered and spokesman nodescan be used to provide exit lighting in the event of an emergency. Insome instances, to facilitate this, users provide pre-configurationinformation that indicates exit routes in the smart-home environment100. For example, for each room in the house, the user provides a map ofthe best exit route. It should be appreciated that instead of a userproviding this information, the central server or cloud-computing system164 or some other device could the automatically determine the routesusing uploaded maps, diagrams, architectural drawings of the smart-homehouse, as well as using a map generated based on positional informationobtained from the nodes of the mesh network (e.g., positionalinformation from the devices is used to construct a map of the house).In operation, when an alarm is activated (e.g., when one or more of thesmart hazard detector 104 detects smoke and activates an alarm), thecentral server or cloud-computing system 164 or some other device usesoccupancy information obtained from the low-powered and spokesman nodesto determine which rooms are occupied and then turns on lights (e.g.,nightlights 170, wall switches 108, wall plugs 110 that power lamps,etc.) along the exit routes from the occupied rooms so as to provideemergency exit lighting.

Further included and illustrated in the exemplary smart-home environment100 of FIG. 1 are service robots 162 each configured to carry out, in anautonomous manner, any of a variety of household tasks. For someembodiments, the service robots 162 can be respectively configured toperform floor sweeping, floor washing, etc. in a manner similar to thatof known commercially available devices such as the ROOMBA™ and SCOOBA#products sold by iRobot, Inc. of Bedford, Mass. Tasks such as floorsweeping and floor washing can be considered as “away” or “while-away”tasks for purposes of the instant description, as it is generally moredesirable for these tasks to be performed when the occupants are notpresent. For other embodiments, one or more of the service robots 162are configured to perform tasks such as playing music for an occupant,serving as a localized thermostat for an occupant, serving as alocalized air monitor/purifier for an occupant, serving as a localizedbaby monitor, serving as a localized hazard detector for an occupant,and so forth, it being generally more desirable for such tasks to becarried out in the immediate presence of the human occupant. Forpurposes of the instant description, such tasks can be considered as“human-facing” or “human-centric” tasks.

When serving as a localized thermostat for an occupant, a particular oneof the service robots 162 can be considered to be facilitating what canbe called a “personal comfort-area network” for the occupant, with theobjective being to keep the occupant's immediate space at a comfortabletemperature wherever that occupant may be located in the home. This canbe contrasted with conventional wall-mounted room thermostats, whichhave the more attenuated objective of keeping a statically-definedstructural space at a comfortable temperature. According to oneembodiment, the localized-thermostat service robot 162 is configured tomove itself into the immediate presence (e.g., within five feet) of aparticular occupant who has settled into a particular location in thehome (e.g. in the dining room to eat their breakfast and read the news).The localized-thermostat service robot 162 includes a temperaturesensor, a processor, and wireless communication components configuredsuch that control communications with the HVAC system, either directlyor through a wall-mounted wirelessly communicating thermostat coupled tothe HVAC system, are maintained and such that the temperature in theimmediate vicinity of the occupant is maintained at their desired level.If the occupant then moves and settles into another location (e.g. tothe living room couch to watch television), the localized-thermostatservice robot 162 proceeds to move and park itself next to the couch andkeep that particular immediate space at a comfortable temperature.

Technologies by which the localized-thermostat service robot 162 (and/orthe larger smart-home system of FIG. 1) can identify and locate theoccupant whose personal-area space is to be kept at a comfortabletemperature can include, but are not limited to, RFID sensing (e.g.,person having an RFID bracelet, RFID necklace, or RFID key fob),synthetic vision techniques (e.g., video cameras and face recognitionprocessors), audio techniques (e.g., voice, sound pattern, vibrationpattern recognition), ultrasound sensing/imaging techniques, andinfrared or near-field communication (NFC) techniques (e.g., personwearing an infrared or NFC-capable smartphone), along with rules-basedinference engines or artificial intelligence techniques that draw usefulconclusions from the sensed information (e.g., if there is only a singleoccupant present in the home, then that is the person whose immediatespace should be kept at a comfortable temperature, and the selection ofthe desired comfortable temperature should correspond to that occupant'sparticular stored profile).

When serving as a localized air monitor/purifier for an occupant, aparticular service robot 162 can be considered to be facilitating whatcan be called a “personal health-area network” for the occupant, withthe objective being to keep the air quality in the occupant's immediatespace at healthy levels. Alternatively or in conjunction therewith,other health-related functions can be provided, such as monitoring thetemperature or heart rate of the occupant (e.g., using finely remotesensors, near-field communication with on-person monitors, etc.). Whenserving as a localized hazard detector for an occupant, a particularservice robot 162 can be considered to be facilitating what can becalled a “personal safety-area network” for the occupant, with theobjective being to ensure there is no excessive carbon monoxide, smoke,fire, etc., in the immediate space of the occupant. Methods analogous tothose described above for personal comfort-area networks in terms ofoccupant identifying and tracking are likewise applicable for personalhealth-area network and personal safety-area network embodiments.

According to some embodiments, the above-referenced facilitation ofpersonal comfort-area networks, personal health-area networks, personalsafety-area networks, and/or other such human-facing functionalities ofthe service robots 162, are further enhanced by logical integration withother smart sensors in the home according to rules-based inferencingtechniques or artificial intelligence techniques for achieving betterperformance of those human-facing functionalities and/or for achievingthose goals in energy-conserving or other resource-conserving ways.Thus, for one embodiment relating to personal health-area networks, theair monitor/purifier service robot 162 can be configured to detectwhether a household pet is moving toward the currently settled locationof the occupant (e.g., using on-board sensors and/or by datacommunications with other smart-home sensors along with rules-basedinferencing/artificial intelligence techniques), and if so, the airpurifying rate is immediately increased in preparation for the arrivalof more airborne pet dander. For another embodiment relating to personalsafety-area networks, the hazard detector service robot 162 can beadvised by other smart-home sensors that the temperature and humiditylevels are rising in the kitchen, which is nearby to the occupant'scurrent dining room location, and responsive to this advisory the hazarddetector service robot 162 will temporarily raise a hazard detectionthreshold, such as a smoke detection threshold, under an inference thatany small increases in ambient smoke levels will most likely be due tocooking activity and not due to a genuinely hazardous condition.

The above-described “human-facing” and “away” functionalities can beprovided, without limitation, by multiple distinct service robots 162having respective dedicated ones of such functionalities, by a singleservice robot 162 having an integration of two or more different ones ofsuch functionalities, and/or any combinations thereof (including theability for a single service robot 162 to have both “away” and “humanfacing” functionalities) without departing from the scope of the presentteachings. Electrical power can be provided by virtue of rechargeablebatteries or other rechargeable methods, with FIG. 1 illustrating anexemplary out-of-the-way docking station 164 to which the service robots162 will automatically dock and recharge its batteries (if needed)during periods of inactivity. Preferably, each service robot 162includes wireless communication components that facilitate datacommunications with one or more of the other wirelessly communicatingsmart-home sensors of FIG. 1 and/or with one or more other servicerobots 162 (e.g., using Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-Wave, 6LoWPAN, etc.), and oneor more of the smart-home devices of FIG. 1 can be in communication witha remote server over the Internet. Alternatively or in conjunctiontherewith, each service robot 162 can be configured to communicatedirectly with a remote server by virtue of cellular telephonecommunications, satellite communications, 3G/4G network datacommunications, or other direct communication method.

Provided according to some embodiments are systems and methods relatingto the integration of the service robot(s) 162 with home securitysensors and related functionalities of the smart home system. Theembodiments are particularly applicable and advantageous when appliedfor those service robots 162 that perform “away” functionalities or thatotherwise are desirable to be active when the home is unoccupied(hereinafter “away-service robots”). Included in the embodiments aremethods and systems for ensuring that home security systems, intrusiondetection systems, and/or occupancy-sensitive environmental controlsystems (for example, occupancy-sensitive automated setback thermostatsthat enter into a lower-energy-using condition when the home isunoccupied) are not erroneously triggered by the away-service robots.

Provided according to one embodiment is a home automation and securitysystem (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1) that is remotely monitored by amonitoring service by virtue of automated systems (e.g., cloud-basedservers or other central servers, hereinafter “central server”) that arein data communications with one or more network-connected elements ofthe home automation and security system. The away-service robots areconfigured to be in operative data communication with the centralserver, and are configured such that they remain in a non-away-servicestate (e.g., a dormant state at their docking station) unless permissionis granted from the central server (e.g., by virtue of an“away-service-OK” message from the central server) to commence theiraway-service activities. An away-state determination made by the system,which can be arrived at (i) exclusively by local on-premises smartdevice(s) based on occupancy sensor data, (ii) exclusively by thecentral server based on received occupancy sensor data and/or based onreceived proximity-related information such as GPS coordinates from usersmartphones or automobiles, or (iii) any combination of (i) and (ii))can then trigger the granting of away-service permission to theaway-service robots by the central server. During the course of theaway-service robot activity, during which the away-service robots maycontinuously detect and send their in-home location coordinates to thecentral server, the central server can readily filter signals from theoccupancy sensing devices to distinguish between the away-service robotactivity versus any unexpected intrusion activity, thereby avoiding afalse intrusion alarm condition while also ensuring that the home issecure. Alternatively or in conjunction therewith, the central servermay provide filtering data (such as an expected occupancy-sensingprofile triggered by the away-service robots) to the occupancy sensingnodes or associated processing nodes of the smart home, such that thefiltering is performed at the local level. Although somewhat lesssecure, it would also be within the scope of the present teachings forthe central server to temporarily disable the occupancy sensingequipment for the duration of the away-service robot activity.

According to another embodiment, functionality similar to that of thecentral server in the above example can be performed by an on-sitecomputing device such as a dedicated server computer, a “master” homeautomation console or panel, or as an adjunct function of one or more ofthe smart-home devices of FIG. 1. In such embodiment, there would be nodependency on a remote service provider to provide the “away-service-OK”permission to the away-service robots and the false-alarm-avoidancefiltering service or filter information for the sensed intrusiondetection signals.

According to other embodiments, there are provided methods and systemsfor implementing away-service robot functionality while avoiding falsehome security alarms and false occupancy-sensitive environmentalcontrols without the requirement of a single overall event orchestrator.For purposes of the simplicity in the present disclosure, the homesecurity systems and/or occupancy-sensitive environmental controls thatwould be triggered by the motion, noise, vibrations, or otherdisturbances of the away-service robot activity are referenced simply as“activity sensing systems,” and when so triggered will yield a“disturbance-detected” outcome representative of the false trigger (forexample, an alarm message to a security service, or an “arrival”determination for an automated setback thermostat that causes the hometo be heated or cooled to a more comfortable “occupied” setpointtemperature). According to one embodiment, the away-service robots areconfigured to emit a standard ultrasonic sound throughout the course oftheir away-service activity, the activity sensing systems are configuredto detect that standard ultrasonic sound, and the activity sensingsystems are further configured such that no disturbance-detected outcomewill occur for as long as that standard ultrasonic sound is detected.For other embodiments, the away-service robots are configured to emit astandard notification signal throughout the course of their away-serviceactivity, the activity sensing systems are configured to detect thatstandard notification signal, and the activity sensing systems arefurther configured such that no disturbance-detected outcome will occurfor as long as that standard notification signal is detected, whereinthe standard notification signal comprises one or more of: an opticalnotifying signal; an audible notifying signal; an infrared notifyingsignal; an infrasonic notifying signal; a wirelessly transmitted datanotification signal (e.g., an IP broadcast, multicast, or unicastnotification signal, or a notification message sent in an TCP/IP two-waycommunication session).

According to some embodiments, the notification signals sent by theaway-service robots to the activity sensing systems are authenticatedand encrypted such that the notifications cannot be learned andreplicated by a potential burglar. Any of a variety of knownencryption/authentication schemes can be used to ensure such datasecurity including, but not limited to, methods involving third partydata security services or certificate authorities. For some embodiments,a permission request-response model can be used, wherein any particularaway-service robot requests permission from each activity sensing systemin the home when it is ready to perform its away-service tasks, and doesnot initiate such activity until receiving a “yes” or “permissiongranted” message from each activity sensing system (or from a singleactivity sensing system serving as a “spokesman” for all of the activitysensing systems). One advantage of the described embodiments that do notrequire a central event orchestrator is that there can (optionally) bemore of an arms-length relationship between the supplier(s) of the homesecurity/environmental control equipment, on the one hand, and thesupplier(s) of the away-service robot(s), on the other hand, as it isonly required that there is the described standard one-way notificationprotocol or the described standard two-way request/permission protocolto be agreed upon by the respective suppliers.

According to still other embodiments, the activity sensing systems areconfigured to detect sounds, vibrations, RF emissions, or otherdetectable environmental signals or “signatures” that are intrinsicallyassociated with the away-service activity of each away-service robot,and are further configured such that no disturbance-detected outcomewill occur for as long as that particular detectable signal orenvironmental “signature” is detected. By way of example, a particularkind of vacuum-cleaning away-service robot may emit a specific sound orRF signature. For one embodiment, the away-service environmentalsignatures for each of a plurality of known away-service robots arestored in the memory of the activity sensing systems based onempirically collected data, the environmental signatures being suppliedwith the activity sensing systems and periodically updated by a remoteupdate server. For another embodiment, the activity sensing systems canbe placed into a “training mode” for the particular home in which theyare installed, wherein they “listen” and “learn” the particularenvironmental signatures of the away-service robots for that home duringthat training session, and thereafter will suppress disturbance-detectedoutcomes for intervals in which those environmental signatures areheard.

For still another embodiment, which is particularly useful when theactivity sensing system is associated with occupancy-sensitiveenvironmental control equipment rather than a home security system, theactivity sensing system is configured to automatically learn theenvironmental signatures for the away-service robots by virtue ofautomatically performing correlations over time between detectedenvironmental signatures and detected occupancy activity. By way ofexample, for one embodiment an intelligent automatednonoccupancy-triggered setback thermostat such as the Nest LearningThermostat can be configured to constantly monitor for audible and RFactivity as well as to perform infrared-based occupancy detection. Inparticular view of the fact that the environmental signature of theaway-service robot will remain relatively constant from event to event,and in view of the fact that the away-service events will likely either(a) themselves be triggered by some sort of nonoccupancy condition asmeasured by the away-service robots themselves, or (b) will occur atregular times of day, there will be patterns in the collected data bywhich the events themselves will become apparent and for which theenvironmental signatures can be readily learned. Generally speaking, forthis automatic-learning embodiment in which the environmental signaturesof the away-service robots are automatically learned without requiringuser interaction, it is more preferable that a certain number of falsetriggers be tolerable over the course of the learning process.

Accordingly, this automatic-learning embodiment is more preferable forapplication in occupancy-sensitive environmental control equipment (suchas an automated setback thermostat) rather than home security systemsfor the reason that a few false occupancy determinations may cause a fewinstances of unnecessary heating or cooling, but will not otherwise haveany serious, whereas false home security alarms may have more seriousconsequences.

According to embodiments, technologies including the sensors of thesmart devices located in the mesh network of the smart-home environmentin combination with rules-based inference engines or artificialintelligence provided at the central server or cloud-computing system164 are used to provide a personal “smart alarm clock” for individualoccupants of the home. For example, user-occupants can communicate withthe central server or cloud-computing system 164 via their mobiledevices 166 to access an interface for the smart alarm clock. There,occupants can turn on their “smart alarm clock” and input a wake timefor the next day and/or for additional days. In some embodiments, theoccupant may have the option of setting a specific wake time for eachday of the week, as well as the option of setting some or all of theinputted wake times to “repeat”. Artificial intelligence will be used toconsider the occupant's response to these alarms when they go off andmake inferences about the user's preferred sleep patterns over time.

According to embodiments, the smart device in the smart-home environment100 that happens to be closest to the occupant when the occupant fallsasleep will be the devices that transmits messages regarding when theoccupant stopped moving, from which the central server orcloud-computing system 164 will make inferences about where and when theoccupant prefers to sleep. This closest smart device will as be thedevice that sounds the alarm to wake the occupant. In this manner, the“smart alarm clock” will follow the occupant throughout the house, bytracking the individual occupants based on their “unique signature”,which is determined based on data obtained from sensors located in thesmart devices. For example, the sensors include ultrasonic sensors,passive IR sensors, and the like. The unique signature is based on acombination of walking gate, patterns of movement, voice, height, size,etc. It should be appreciated that facial recognition may also be used.

According to an embodiment, the wake times associated with the “smartalarm clock” are used to by the smart thermostat 102 to control the HVACin an efficient manner so as to pre-heat or cool the house to theoccupant's desired “sleeping” and “awake” temperature settings. Thepreferred settings can be learned over time, such as be observing whichtemperature the occupant sets the thermostat to before going to sleepand which temperature the occupant sets the thermostat to upon wakingup.

According to an embodiment, a device is positioned proximate to theoccupant's bed, such as on an adjacent nightstand, and collects data asthe occupant sleeps using noise sensors, motion sensors (e.g.,ultrasonic, IR, and optical), etc. Data may be obtained by the othersmart devices in the room as well. Such data may include the occupant'sbreathing patterns, heart rate, movement, etc. Inferences are made basedon this data in combination with data that indicates when the occupantactually wakes up. For example, if—on a regular basis—the occupant'sheart rate, breathing, and moving all increase by 5% to 10%, twenty tothirty minutes before the occupant wakes up each morning, thenpredictions can be made regarding when the occupant is going to wake.Other devices in the home can use these predictions to provide othersmart-home objectives, such as adjusting the smart thermostat 102 so asto pre-heat or cool the home to the occupant's desired setting beforethe occupant wakes up. Further, these predictions can be used to set the“smart alarm clock” for the occupant, to turn on lights, etc.

According to embodiments, technologies including the sensors of thesmart devices location through the smart-home environment in combinationwith rules-based inference engines or artificial intelligence providedat the central server or cloud-computing system 164 are used to detector monitor the progress of Alzheimer's Disease. For example, the uniquesignatures of the occupants are used to track the individual occupants'movement throughout the smart-home environment 100. This data can beaggregated and analyzed to identify patterns indicative of Alzheimer's.Oftentimes, individuals with Alzheimer's have distinctive patterns ofmigration in their homes. For example, a person will walk to the kitchenand stand there for a while, then to the living room and stand there fora while, and then back to the kitchen. This pattern will take aboutthirty minutes, and then the person will repeat the pattern. Accordingto embodiments, the remote servers or cloud computing architectures 164analyze the person's migration data collected by the mesh network of thesmart-home environment to identify such patterns.

FIG. 2 illustrates a network-level view of an extensible devices andservices platform 200 with which a plurality of smart-home environments,such as the smart-home environment 100 of FIG. 1, can be integrated. Theextensible devices and services platform 200 includes remote servers orcloud computing architectures 164. Each of the intelligent,network-connected devices 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, and 116from FIG. 1 (identified simply as “smart devices” in FIGS. 2-3 herein)can communicate with the remote servers or cloud computing architectures164. For example, a connection to the Internet 162 can be establishedeither directly (for example, using 3G/4G connectivity to a wirelesscarrier), though a hubbed network 212 (which can be scheme ranging froma simple wireless router, for example, up to and including anintelligent, dedicated whole-home control node), or through anycombination thereof.

Although in some examples provided herein, the devices and servicesplatform 200 communicates with and collects data from the smart devicesof smart-home environment 100 of FIG. 1, it should be appreciated thatthe devices and services platform 200 communicates with and collectsdata from a plurality of smart-home environments across the world. Forexample, the central server or cloud-computing system 164 can collecthome data 202 from the devices of one or more smart-home environments,where the devices can routinely transmit home data or can transmit homedata in specific instances (e.g., when a device queries the home data202).

Thus, the devices and services platform 200 routinely collects data fromhomes across the world. As described, the collected home data 202includes, for example, power consumption data, occupancy data, HVACsettings and usage data, carbon monoxide levels data, carbon dioxidelevels data, volatile organic compounds levels data, sleeping scheduledata, cooking schedule data, inside and outside temperature humiditydata, television viewership data, inside and outside noise level data,etc.

The central server or cloud-computing architecture 164 can furtherprovide one or more services 204. The services 204 can include, e.g.,software updates, customer support, sensor data collection/logging,remote access, remote or distributed control, or use suggestions (e.g.,based on collected home data 202 to improve performance, reduce utilitycost, etc.). Data associated with the services 204 can be stored at thecentral server or cloud-computing system 164 and the central server orthe cloud-computing system 164 can retrieve and transmit the data at anappropriate time (e.g., at regular intervals, upon receiving requestfrom a user, etc.).

As illustrated in FIG. 2, an embodiment of the extensible devices andservices platform 200 includes a processing engine 206, which can beconcentrated at a single server or distributed among several differentcomputing entities without limitation. The processing engine 206 caninclude engines configured to receive data from devices of smart-homeenvironments (e.g., via the Internet or a hubbed network), to index thedata, to analyze the data and/or to generate statistics based on theanalysis or as part of the analysis. The analyzed data can be stored asderived home data 208.

Results of the analysis or statistics can thereafter be transmitted backto the device that provided home data used to derive the results, toother devices, to a server providing a webpage to a user of the device,or to other non-device entities. For example, use statistics, usestatistics relative to use of other devices, use patterns, and/orstatistics summarizing sensor readings can be generated by theprocessing engine 206 and transmitted. The results or statistics can beprovided via the Internet 162. In this manner, the processing engine 206can be configured and programmed to derive a variety of usefulinformation from the home data 202. A single server can include one ormore engines.

The derived data can be highly beneficial at a variety of differentgranularities for a variety of useful purposes, ranging from explicitprogrammed control of the devices on a per-home, per-neighborhood, orper-region basis (for example, demand-response programs for electricalutilities), to the generation of inferential abstractions that canassist on a per-home basis (for example, an inference can be drawn thatthe homeowner has left for vacation and so security detection equipmentcan be put on heightened sensitivity), to the generation of statisticsand associated inferential abstractions that can be used for governmentor charitable purposes.

For example, processing engine 206 can generate statistics about deviceusage across a population of devices and send the statistics to deviceusers, service providers or other entities (e.g., that have requested ormay have provided monetary compensation for the statistics).

According to some embodiments, the home data 202, the derived home data208, and/or another data can be used to create “automated neighborhoodsafety networks.” For example, in the event the central server orcloud-computing architecture 164 receives data indicating that aparticular home has been broken into, is experiencing a fire, or someother type of emergency event, an alarm is sent to other smart homes inthe “neighborhood.” In some instances, the central server orcloud-computing architecture 164 automatically identifies smart homeswithin a radius of the home experiencing the emergency and sends analarm to the identified homes. In such instances, the other homes in the“neighborhood” do not have to sign up for or register to be a part of asafety network, but instead are notified of emergency based on theirproximity to the location of the emergency. This creates robust andevolving neighborhood security watch networks, such that if one person'shome is getting broken into, an alarm can be sent to nearby homes, suchas by audio announcements via the smart devices located in those homes.It should be appreciated that this can be an opt-in service and that, inaddition to or instead of the central server or cloud-computingarchitecture 164 selecting which homes to send alerts to, individualscan subscribe to participate in such networks and individuals canspecify which homes they want to receive alerts from. This can include,for example, the homes of family members who live in different cities,such that individuals can receive alerts when their loved ones in otherlocations are experiencing an emergency.

According to some embodiments, sound, vibration, and/or motion sensingcomponents of the smart devices are used to detect sound, vibration,and/or motion created by running water. Based on the detected sound,vibration, and/or motion, the central server or cloud-computingarchitecture 164 makes inferences about water usage in the home andprovides related services.

For example, the central server or cloud-computing architecture 164 canrun programs/algorithms that recognize what water sounds like and whenit is running in the home. According to one embodiment, to map thevarious water sources of the home, upon detecting running water, thecentral server or cloud-computing architecture 164 sends a message anoccupant's mobile device asking if water is currently running or ifwater has been recently run in the home and, if so, which room and whichwater-consumption appliance (e.g., sink, shower, toilet, etc.) was thesource of the water. This enables the central server or cloud-computingarchitecture 164 to determine the “signature” or “fingerprint” of eachwater source in the home. This is sometimes referred to herein as “audiofingerprinting water usage.”

In one illustrative example, the central server or cloud-computingarchitecture 164 creates a signature for the toilet in the masterbathroom, and whenever that toilet is flushed, the central server orcloud-computing architecture 164 will know that the water usage at thattime is associated with that toilet. Thus, the central server orcloud-computing architecture 164 can track the water usage of thattoilet as well as each water-consumption application in the home. Thisinformation can be correlated to water bills or smart water meters so asto provide users with a breakdown of their water usage.

According to some embodiments, sound, vibration, and/or motion sensingcomponents of the smart devices are used to detect sound, vibration,and/or motion created by mice and other rodents as well as by termites,cockroaches, and other insects (collectively referred to as “pests”).Based on the detected sound, vibration, and/or motion, the centralserver or cloud-computing architecture 164 makes inferences aboutpest-detection in the home and provides related services. For example,the central server or cloud-computing architecture 164 can runprograms/algorithms that recognize what certain pests sound like, howthey move, and/or the vibration they create, individually and/orcollectively. According to one embodiment, the central server orcloud-computing architecture 164 can determine the “signatures” ofparticular types of pests.

For example, in the event the central server or cloud-computingarchitecture 164 detects sounds that may be associated with pests, itnotifies the occupants of such sounds and suggests hiring a pest controlcompany. If it is confirmed that pests are indeed present, the occupantsinput to the central server or cloud-computing architecture 164confirmation that its detection was correct, along with detailsregarding the identified pests, such as name, type, description,location, quantity, etc. This enables the central server orcloud-computing architecture 164 to “tune” itself for better detectionand create “signatures” or “fingerprints” for specific types of pests.For example, the central server or cloud-computing architecture 164 canuse the tuning as well as the signatures and fingerprints to detectpests in other homes, such as nearby homes that may be experiencingproblems with the same pests. Further, for example, in the event thattwo or more homes in a “neighborhood” are experiencing problems with thesame or similar types of pests, the central server or cloud-computingarchitecture 164 can make inferences that nearby homes may also havesuch problems or may be susceptible to having such problems, and it cansend warning messages to those home to help facilitate early detectionand prevention.

In some embodiments, to encourage innovation and research and toincrease products and services available to users, the devices andservices platform 200 exposes a range of application programminginterfaces (APIs) 210 to third parties, such as charities 222,governmental entities 224 (e.g., the Food and Drug Administration or theEnvironmental Protection Agency), academic institutions 226 (e.g.,university researchers), businesses 228 (e.g., providing devicewarranties or service to related equipment, targeting advertisementsbased on home data), utility companies 230, and other third parties. TheAPIs 210 are coupled to and permit third-party systems to communicatewith the central server or the cloud-computing system 164, including theservices 204, the processing engine 206, the home data 202, and thederived home data 208. For example, the APIs 210 allow applicationsexecuted by the third parties to initiate specific data processing tasksthat are executed by the central server or the cloud-computing system164, as well as to receive dynamic updates to the home data 202 and thederived home data 208.

For example, third parties can develop programs and/or applications,such as web or mobile apps, that integrate with the central server orthe cloud-computing system 164 to provide services and information tousers. Such programs and application may be, for example, designed tohelp users reduce energy consumption, to preemptively service faultyequipment, to prepare for high service demands, to track past serviceperformance, etc., or to perform any of a variety of beneficialfunctions or tasks now known or hereinafter developed.

According to some embodiments, third-party applications make inferencesfrom the home data 202 and the derived home data 208, such inferencesmay include when are occupants home, when are they sleeping, when arethey cooking, when are they in the den watching television, when do theyshower. The answers to these questions may help third-parties benefitconsumers by providing them with interesting information, products andservices as well as with providing them with targeted advertisements.

In one example, a shipping company creates an application that makesinferences regarding when people are at home. The application uses theinferences to schedule deliveries for times when people will most likelybe at home. The application can also build delivery routes around thesescheduled times. This reduces the number of instances where the shippingcompany has to make multiple attempts to deliver packages, and itreduces the number of time consumers have to pick up their packages fromthe shipping company.

FIG. 3 illustrates an abstracted functional view of the extensibledevices and services platform 200 of FIG. 2, with particular referenceto the processing engine 206 as well as devices, such as those of thesmart-home environment 100 of FIG. 1. Even though devices situated insmart-home environments will have an endless variety of differentindividual capabilities and limitations, they can all be thought of assharing common characteristics in that each of them is a data consumer302 (DC), a data source 304 (DS), a services consumer 306 (SC), and aservices source 308 (SS). Advantageously, in addition to providing theessential control information needed for the devices to achieve theirlocal and immediate objectives, the extensible devices and servicesplatform 200 can also be configured to harness the large amount of datathat is flowing out of these devices. In addition to enhancing oroptimizing the actual operation of the devices themselves with respectto their immediate functions, the extensible devices and servicesplatform 200 can be directed to “repurposing” that data in a variety ofautomated, extensible, flexible, and/or scalable ways to achieve avariety of useful objectives. These objectives may be predefined oradaptively identified based on, e.g., usage patterns, device efficiency,and/or user input (e.g., requesting specific functionality).

For example, FIG. 3 shows processing engine 206 as including a number ofparadigms 310. Processing engine 206 can include a managed servicesparadigm 310 a that monitors and manages primary or secondary devicefunctions. The device functions can include ensuring proper operation ofa device given user inputs, estimating that (e.g., and responding to) anintruder is or is attempting to be in a dwelling, detecting a failure ofequipment coupled to the device (e.g., a light bulb having burned out),implementing or otherwise responding to energy demand response events,or alerting a user of a current or predicted future event orcharacteristic. Processing engine 206 can further include anadvertising/communication paradigm 310 b that estimates characteristics(e.g., demographic information), desires and/or products of interest ofa user based on device usage. Services, promotions, products or upgradescan then be offered or automatically provided to the user. Processingengine 206 can further include a social paradigm 310 c that usesinformation from a social network, provides information to a socialnetwork (for example, based on device usage), and/or processes dataassociated with user and/or device interactions with the social networkplatform. For example, a user's status as reported to their trustedcontacts on the social network could be updated to indicate when theyare home based on light detection, security system inactivation ordevice usage detectors. As another example, a user may be able to sharedevice-usage statistics with other users. Yet another example, a usermay share HVAC settings that result in low power bills and other usersmay download the HVAC settings to their smart thermostat 102 to reducetheir power bills.

The processing engine 206 can include achallenges/rules/compliance/rewards paradigm 310 d that informs a userof challenges, competitions, rules, compliance regulations and/orrewards and/or that uses operation data to determine whether a challengehas been met, a rule or regulation has been complied with and/or areward has been earned. The challenges, rules or regulations can relateto efforts to conserve energy, to live safely (e.g., reducing exposureto toxins or carcinogens), to conserve money and/or equipment life, toimprove health, etc. For example, one challenge may involvesparticipates turning down their thermostat by one degree for one week.Those that successfully complete the challenge are rewarded, such as bycoupons, virtual currency, status, etc. Regarding compliance, an exampleinvolves a rental-property owner making a rule that no renters arepermitted to access certain owner's rooms. The devices in the roomhaving occupancy sensors could send updates to the owner when the roomis accessed.

The processing engine 206 can integrate or otherwise utilize extrinsicinformation 316 from extrinsic sources to improve the functioning of oneor more processing paradigms. Extrinsic information 316 can be used tointerpret data received from a device, to determine a characteristic ofthe environment near the device (e.g., outside a structure that thedevice is enclosed in), to determine services or products available tothe user, to identify a social network or social-network information, todetermine contact information of entities (e.g., public-service entitiessuch as an emergency-response team, the police or a hospital) near thedevice, etc., to identify statistical or environmental conditions,trends or other information associated with a home or neighborhood, andso forth.

An extraordinary range and variety of benefits can be brought about by,and fit within the scope of, the described extensible devices andservices platform 200, ranging from the ordinary to the profound. Thus,in one “ordinary” example, each bedroom of the smart-home environment100 can be provided with a smart wall switch 108, a smart wall plug 110,and/or smart hazard detectors 104, all or some of which include anoccupancy sensor, wherein the occupancy sensor is also capable ofinferring (e.g., by virtue of motion detection, facial recognition,audible sound patterns, etc.) whether the occupant is asleep or awake.If a serious fire event is sensed, the remote security/monitoringservice or fire department is advised of how many occupants there are ineach bedroom, and whether those occupants are still asleep (or immobile)or whether they have properly evacuated the bedroom. While this is, ofcourse, a very advantageous capability accommodated by the describedextensible devices and services platform, there can be substantiallymore “profound” examples that can truly illustrate the potential of alarger “intelligence” that can be made available. By way of perhaps amore “profound” example, the same data bedroom occupancy data that isbeing used for fire safety can also be “repurposed” by the processingengine 206 in the context of a social paradigm of neighborhood childdevelopment and education. Thus, for example, the same bedroom occupancyand motion data discussed in the “ordinary” example can be collected andmade available for processing (properly anonymized) in which the sleeppatterns of schoolchildren in a particular ZIP code can be identifiedand tracked. Localized variations in the sleeping patterns of theschoolchildren may be identified and correlated, for example, todifferent nutrition programs in local schools.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A-F, illustrated is a hazard detector 400 thatmay be used as part of a smart home environment 100 as previouslydescribed. FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an exploded perspective views ofthe hazard detector 400, while FIGS. 4C and 4D illustrate an assembledview of the same hazard detector 400. FIG. 4E illustrates a front viewof the hazard detector 400 and FIG. 4F illustrates a cross-sectionalview of the hazard detector 400, showing the arrangement of severalinternal components. In one embodiment, hazard detector 400 is a smokedetector that is configured to detect the presence of smoke and sound analarm to audibly warn an occupant or occupants of the home or structureof a potential fire or other danger. In other embodiments, hazarddetector 400 may be a carbon monoxide detector, heat detector, and thelike. In one embodiment, hazard detector 400 is a multi-sensing detectorthat includes a smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, heat detector,motion detector, and the like. Many of the present teachings areparticularly advantageous for embodiments in which the hazard detector400 is a multi-sensing detector, particularly since combining thevarious sensing modes together into a single device can pose substantialchallenges with respect to one or more of device compactness, componentpowering, and overall component governance and coordination. Forconvenience in describing the embodiments herein, the device 400 will bereferred to hereinbelow as hazard detector 400, although it should berealized that hazard detector 400 may include various other devices andthat the scope of the present teachings is not necessarily limited tohazard detectors in which smoke is required as one of the anomalies tobe detected. Thus, for example, depending on the particular context aswould be apparent to a person skilled in the art upon reading theinstant disclosure, one or more of the advantageous features andembodiments described herein may be readily applicable to amulti-functional hazard sensor that detects carbon monoxide and motiononly, or pollen and motion only, or noise pollution and pollen only, andso forth. Nevertheless, the combining of smoke detection functionalitywith other sensing functions does bring about one or more particularlyproblematic issues that are addressed by one or more of the presentteachings.

In one embodiment, hazard detector 400 is a roughly square orrectangular shaped object having a width of approximately 120 to 134 mmand a thickness of approximately 38 mm. Stated differently, hazarddetector 400 is a multi-sensing unit having a fairly compact shape andsize the may be easily attached to a wall or ceiling of a home orstructure so as to be able, among other functionalities, to detect thepresence of smoke and alert an occupant therein of the potential firedanger. As shown in FIGS. 4A and B, hazard detector 400 includes amounting plate 500 that may be attached to a wall of the building orstructure to secure the hazard detector 400 thereto. Hazard detector 400also includes a back plate 600 that may be mounted to the mounting plate500 and a front casing 1100 that may be coupled with or otherwisesecured to back plate 600 to define a housing having an interior regionwithin which components of the hazard detector 400 are contained. Acircuit board 900 may be coupled with or attached to back plate 600.Various components may be mounted on circuit board 900. For example, asmoke chamber 700 may be coupled with or mounted on circuit board 900and configured to detect the presence of smoke. In one embodiment, smokechamber 700 may be mid-mounted relative to circuit board 900 so that airmay flow into smoke chamber 700 from a position above circuit board 900and below circuit board 900. A speaker 950 and alarm device (not number)may also be mounted on circuit board 900 to audibly warn an occupant ofa potential fire danger when the presence of smoke is detected via smokechamber 700. Other components, such as a motion sensor, carbon monoxidesensor, microprocessor, and the like may likewise be mounted on circuitboard 900 as described herein.

In one embodiment, a protective plate 800 may be attached to orotherwise coupled with circuit board 900 to provide a visually pleasingappearance to the inner components of hazard detector 400 and/or tofunnel or direct airflow to smoke chamber 700. For example, when a userviews the internal components of hazard detector 400, such as throughvents in back plate 600, protective plate 800 may provide the appearanceof a relatively smooth surface and otherwise hide the components orcircuitry of circuit board 900. Protective plate 800 may likewisefunction to direct a flow of air from the vents of back plate 600 towardsmoke chamber 700 so as to facilitate air flow into and out of smokechamber 700.

Hazard detector 400 may also include a battery pack 1000 that isconfigured to provide power to the various components of hazard detector400 when hazard detector 400 is not coupled with an external powersource, such as a 120 V power source of the home or structure. In someembodiments, a cover plate 1300 may be coupled with the front casing1100 to provide a visually pleasing appearance to hazard detector 400and/or for other functional purposes. In a specific embodiment, coverplate 1300 may include a plurality of holes or openings that allow oneor more sensors coupled with circuit board 900 to view or see through asurface of cover plate 1300 so as to sense objects external to hazarddetector 400. The plurality of openings of cover plate 1300 may bearranged to provide a visually pleasing appearance when viewed byoccupants of the home or structure. In one embodiment, the plurality ofopenings of cover plate 1300 may be arranged according to a repeatingpattern, such as a Fibonacci or other sequence.

A lens button 1200 may be coupled with or otherwise mounted to coverplate 1300. Lens button 1200 may allow one or more sensors to viewthrough the lens button 1200 for various purposes. For example, in oneembodiment a passive IR sensor (not shown) may be positioned behind thelens button 1200 and configured to view through the lens button 1200 todetect the presence of an occupant or occupants within the home orstructure. In some embodiments, lens button 1200 may also function as abutton that is pressable by a user to input various commands to hazarddetector 400, such as to shut off an alarm that is triggered in responseto a false or otherwise harmless condition. Positioned distally behindlens button 1200 may be a light ring 1220 that is configured to receivelight, such as from an LED, and disperse the light within ring 1220 toprovide a desired visual appearance, such as a halo behind lens button1200. Positioned distally behind light ring 1220 may be a flexiblecircuit board 1240 that includes one or more electrical components, suchas a passive IR sensor (hereinafter PIR sensor), LEDs, and the like.Flexible circuit board 1240 (hereinafter flex ring 1240) may beelectrically coupled with circuit board 900 to communicate and/orreceive instructions from one or more microprocessors mounted on circuitboard (not shown) during operation of hazard detector 400. Additionaldetails of the components of hazard detector 400 are described in FIGS.5A-13B.

FIGS. 4C and 4D illustrate hazard detector 400 with the variouscomponents assembled. Specifically, these figures show the mountingplate 500, front casing 1100, back plate 600, and cover plate 1300 in anassembled configuration with the various other components containedwithin an interior space of hazard detector 400. These figures also showthe plurality of holes or openings of cover plate 1300 forming avisually pleasing design that is viewable by occupant of a room withinwhich the hazard detector 400 is mounted. The lens button 1200 is shownattached to the hazard detector 400 so as to be centrally positionedwith respect to cover plate 1300. As briefly described, light ring 1220may be used to provide a halo appearance of light around and behind lensbutton 1200. The assembled hazard detector 400 provides a compact yetmultifunctional device.

FIG. 4F illustrates a cross-sectional view of the assembled hazarddetector 400. Specifically FIG. 4F illustrates the back plate 600coupled to the mounting plate 500, which may be attached to a wall orceiling of a home or structure. The front casing 1100 is attached to theback plate 600 to define the housing having an interior region withinwhich components of the hazard detector 400 are contained. Cover plate1300 is coupled with front casing 1100 to provide a visually appealingouter surface as previously described. Lens button 1200 is coupled withcover plate 1300 and positioned centrally relative thereto. Positionedunder lens button 1200 is light ring 1220 and flex ring 1240. Circuitboard 900 is coupled with back plate 600 and includes various components(e.g. one or more microprocessors, a motion sensor or sensors, an alarmdevice, a CO detector, heat sensor, and the like) mounted thereon to beused for various purposes.

FIG. 4F also illustrates that the smoke chamber 700 is mid-mountedwithin the interior of the housing of hazard detector 400. As shown,mid-mounting is characterized in that the smoke chamber 700 extendsthrough a hole formed in the circuit board 900 such that a top surfaceof the smoke chamber 700 is positioned above a top surface of thecircuit board 900 and a bottom surface of the smoke chamber 700 ispositioned below a bottom surface of the circuit board 900. In thisconfiguration, an interior chamber of smoke chamber 700 is accessible tosmoke from both the top surface of the circuit board 900 and the bottomsurface of the circuit board 900. Stated differently, smoke chamber 700is mounted on circuit board 900 such that air is flowable into aninterior region of smoke chamber 700 from one or both sides of thecircuit board 900 and flowable out of the interior region of smokechamber 700 from an opposite side of the circuit board 900. In thismanner, the flow of air and smoke is essentially or substantiallyunimpeded into and out of the smoke chamber 700.

In some embodiments, smoke chamber 700 may also be mid-mounted withrespect to protective plate 800. In other words, smoke chamber 700 mayextend through a hole formed in protective plate 800 such that a topsurface of smoke chamber 700 is positioned above a top surface ofprotective plate 800 and a bottom surface of smoke chamber 700 ispositioned below a bottom surface of protective plate 800. In thisconfiguration, smoke chamber 700 is mid-mounted with respect to both theprotective plate 800 and circuit board 900 so that air and smoke isflowable into smoke chamber 700 from both a top surface and a bottomsurface of circuit board 900 and protective plate 800. Further, in thisconfiguration protective plate 800 functions to direct airflow towardsmoke chamber 700. For example, the edges of protective plate 800 arepositioned near the edge of hazard detector 400 and protective plate 800provides a relatively smooth surface that directs air flow from near theedges of hazard detector 400 toward the smoke chamber 700, which ispositioned substantially centrally within hazard detector 400. Thesubstantially smooth or flat surface of protective plate 800 preventsair and smoke from contacting the components of circuit board 900 andthereby helps facilitate airflow into and out of smoke chamber 700.

The mid-mounting of smoke chamber 700 also helps prevent pressurebuildup within hazard detector 400 since air and smoke is flowable alongor adjacent one side of the circuit board 900 to smoke chamber 700,through smoke chamber 700, and flowable along or adjacent an oppositeside of circuit board 900. For example, in some conventional hazarddetectors having a smoke chamber mounted on one side of a circuit board,air pressure may increase near the smoke chamber since air and smoke isonly able to flow to the smoke chamber along one side of the circuitboard, but not an opposite side of the circuit board. Stateddifferently, the air and smoke may accumulate near the smoke chambercausing an increase in air pressure near the smoke chamber since the airis funneled towards the smoke chamber along a single surface of thecircuit board, but not able to exit along any other route other than thesingle surface of the circuit board. The mid-mounting of smoke chamber700 described herein allows air and smoke to be funneled toward thesmoke chamber 700 along one side or surface of circuit board 900, passthrough the smoke chamber 700, and exit along an opposite side orsurface of circuit board 900.

Mid-mounting of smoke chamber 700 also decreases an orientationaldependence of the hazard detector 400 in detecting smoke within the homeor structure. For example, when testing smoke detectors, the smokedetectors are typically rotated to find the least sensitive smokedetection direction. The sensitivity of the smoke detectors aretypically tested with the smoke detectors oriented in the leastsensitive direction. Mid-mounting of the smoke chamber 700 within hazarddetector 400 substantially reduces or eliminates orientation dependencein relation to the smoke detection functionality. Stated differently,mid-mounting of the smoke chamber 700 essentially allows the hazarddetector 400 to exhibit uniform smoke detection ability regardless ofthe orientation.

Mid-mounting of smoke chamber 700 may also facilitate in cooling thevarious components mounted on or otherwise coupled with circuit board900. For example, airflow within hazard detector 400 may be increaseddue to the ability of air to flow in, around, and through smoke chamber700. Airflow relative to one or more heat producing electricalcomponents mounted on the circuit board, such as one or moremicroprocessors, may be increased because air does not accumulate atopthe circuit board 900 or otherwise within hazard detector 400 due to thepresence of the mid-mounted smoke chamber 700 and/or other mid-mountedcomponents. The increased flow of air around the one or more heatproducing electrical components may provide a degree of cooling for suchcomponents. In one embodiment a first microprocessor (not shown) may becoupled on a first side of circuit board 900 while a secondmicroprocessor (not shown) is coupled on a second side of circuit board900 opposite the first microprocessor. Air may flow between the firstand second sides of circuit board 900 as described herein to provide adegree of cooling for the first microprocessor and/or secondmicroprocessor. In another embodiment, the one or more heat producingelectrical components may be advantageously positioned or mounted oncircuit board 900 to create a thermal flow that promotes airflowto/through the smoke chamber 700 and/or relative to other componentsmounted on circuit board 900. For example, one or more microprocessorsor resistors may be arranged on the circuit board to create free ornatural convective air currents that cause air to flow through smokechamber 700 and/or across other components mounted on the circuit board900. In this manner, cooling of the one or more electrical componentsand/or airflow within hazard detector 400 may be increased.

In some embodiments, other components of the hazard detector 400 maylikewise be mid-mounted relative to circuit board 900 and/or protectiveplate 800. For example, in one embodiment a CO detector is mid-mountedwith respect to circuit board 900 and/or protective plate 800 such thata top surface of the CO detector is positioned above the top surface ofthe circuit board 900 and/or protective plate 800 while a bottom surfaceof the CO detector is positioned below a bottom surface of the circuitboard 900 and/or protective plate 800. As such, air may be accessible tothe CO detector from both the top surface and a bottom surface of thecircuit board 900 and/or protective plate 800. In another embodiment, anadditional airflow dependent sensor, such as in air quality sensor, apollen detector, flow rate sensor, and the like, may be mid-mounted withrespect to the circuit board 900 and/or protective plate 800 so that airis accessible to the additional air flow dependent sensor from both thetop surface and bottom surface of the circuit board 900 and/orprotective plate 800.

As described herein, an advantageous feature of the mid-mounted smokechamber 700 is the reduction or elimination of pressure regions withinthe hazard detector 400 and adjacent the smoke chamber 700 since smokeand other gases may easily flow through the smoke chamber 700 and hazarddetector 400. To further promote the flow of air, smoke, and other gasesthrough the smoke chamber 700, the hazard detector 400 may be equippedwith one or more micro-fans that draw air into the hazard detector 400from one region and cause the air to flow out of the hazard detector 400in another region. The micro-fans can be positioned to cause the air topass through the smoke chamber 700 and circuit board 900 to prevent airpressure buildup near the smoke chamber 700. The increased flow of airmay provide additional cooling benefits to the various componentsmounted on circuit board 900.

Circuit board 900 may also include a micro-air flow detector that isdesigned to monitor and measure a flow of air passing by the circuitboard 900 and/or through the smoke chamber 700. In some embodiments, thetop and bottom surface of the circuit board 900 may each include an airflow detector so that the air flow relative to the top and bottomsurfaces of circuit board 900 may be monitored and measured. Ifabnormalities are detected, such as a significant drop in air flowrelative to one or both surfaces, an occupant of the building may bealerted to a potential problem with the hazard detector 400. Forexample, the occupant may be alerted to it blocked or clogged airpassageway of hazard detector 400. To detect abnormalities, the hazarddetector 400 may be designed to monitor the air flow patterns for adefined amount of time so as to learn the air flow patterns of the homeor structure and/or an average air flow rate of the home or structure.

In another embodiment, the home or structure may include a plurality ofhazard detectors 400 that are positioned in various rooms, hallways,equipment rooms, and the like. The air flow data associated with eachlocation may be measured and monitored and recorded in a centralizeddatabase. This data may be analyzed to help determine the air flowcurrents or patterns of the home or structure. This information may thenbe used to optimize placement of hazard detectors 400 within thebuilding so as to position the hazard detectors 400 in locations thatare most likely to be exposed to smoke quickly. In some embodiments, amessage may be transmitted to an occupant of the building thatillustrates the measured air flow patterns and/or suggests a placementscheme based on the analyzed data. The data collected in the centralizeddatabase may be provided to and used by homebuilders, city planners, andthe like to determine how to improve the efficiency of homes and/orresidential areas.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A and 5B, illustrated are front and rearperspective views of the mounting plate 500 that allows hazard detector400 to be coupled with a wall or ceiling of a structure or home withinwhich the hazard detector is to be positioned to detect a potential firehazard or other hazard. Mounting plate 500 includes a body 502 thatincludes a plurality of holes or apertures that allow the mounting plate500 to be mounted to the wall or ceiling in numerous positions. Mountingplate 500 is designed to cover a hole in the wall or ceiling that is cutaround an electrical gang box or wall box. Measured diagonally,electrical gang boxes or wall boxes are typically about 100 mm across.As such, a hole in the wall or ceiling must be at least this large.

To cover and hide the hole in the wall, mounting plate 500 may be sizedlarger than 100 mm across. For example, in one embodiment, mountingplate 500 is sized to be about 120 mm or larger across, which provides a10 mm margin per side (i.e., 20 mm total) for the wall hole to be cutaround the gang or wall box and the mounting plate 500 to overlap theedges of the hole. In some embodiments, body 502 comprises a thicknessbetween about 1.5 and 6 mm, although a thickness of about 3 mm is morecommon.

Body 502 includes a centrally positioned aperture 504 through whichelectrical wiring may be inserted to “hardwire” the hazard detector 400with the wiring of the home or structure. Body 502 also includes aplurality of hooks or bayonets 560 allow the mounting plate 500 to beremovably coupled with back plate 600. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, body502 may include four hooks 560 that are positioned near respective edgesof body 502. Each hook 560 may face outwardly to couple with acorresponding aperture of the back plate 600.

Mounting plate 500 also includes four holes 550 that are positioned inopposite corners of body 502. Holes 550 are mainly used when hazarddetector 400 is being mounted in a location other than that associatedwith an electrical box, wall box, gang box, and the like. Stateddifferently, holes 550 are mainly used in the hazard detector 400 whenhazard detector 400 is not going to be hardwired to the electrical wiresof the home or structure. A screw, nail, or other mechanical fasteningdevice may be easily inserted through holes 550 to attach the mountingplate 500 to the wall or ceiling of the structure or building withinwhich the hazard detector is to be positioned.

Body 502 further includes a plurality of apertures that are centrallyspaced and arranged around aperture 504. Specifically, body 502 includesa first set of apertures 510, a second set of apertures 520, a third setof apertures 530, and the fourth set of apertures 540. These aperturesare arranged to correspond to different standards of wall boxes or gangboxes in one or more countries or regions around the world, such as theUnited States and Europe. These apertures allow the mounting plate to beeasily fit to a wall box or gang box regardless of the specific sizingstandard(s) used in a specific country. Further, the apertures comprisea slotted configuration, which allow the mounting plate 500 and hazarddetector 400 to be mounted with some degree of rotation relative to thewall or ceiling. For example, the slotted apertures allow the mountingplate 500 and hazard detector 400 to be mounted at roughly 90°configurations plus or minus approximately 45-60° of rotation.

Each of the set of apertures, 510, 520, 530, and 540, include fourslotted apertures with a pair of slots positioned on opposing sides ofaperture 504. Specifically, a first pair of slots of each set ispositioned on opposing sides of aperture 504 with a central portion orregion of the first pair of slots positioned at roughly 90° from an edgeof body 502. A second pair of slots of each set is positioned onopposing sides of aperture 504 with a central portion or region of thesecond pair of slots positioned at roughly 45° from the central portionor region of the first pair of slots. This configuration allows themounting plate 500 and hazard detector 400 to be secured to the wall orceiling at roughly 90° or 45° plus or minus some rotation (e.g., 45-60°)within the slots as desired by the user. In this manner, the user maymake the hazard detector 400 appear to have a relatively levelconfiguration with respect to a floor or wall so that the hazarddetector appears to have a box configuration, or the user may arrangethe hazard detector 400 to appear to have a diamond configuration or anyother configuration desired.

The first set of apertures 510 is arranged on body 502 so as to compriseapproximately a 60 mm diameter configuration. The second set ofapertures 520 is arranged on body 502 so as to comprise approximately a71 mm diameter configuration. The third set of apertures 530 and forthset of apertures 540 are arranged on body 502 so as to compriseapproximately an 83.5 mm and 88 mm diameter configuration respectively.These configurations allow the mounting plate 500 to be adapted to thevarious wall boxes or gang box sizing standards used in variouscountries around the world, and thus allow mounting of the hazarddetector regardless of the specific standard used in the home orstructure.

Referring now to FIGS. 6A and 6B, illustrated are front and rearperspective views of back plate 600. Back plate 600 includes a body 602having a plurality of apertures 606 that are configured to mate withhooks 560 of mounting plate 500 to secure the back plate 600 and hazarddetector 400 to the mounting plate 500 and to a wall or ceiling of astructure or home. Back plate 600 covers a rear portion of the internalcomponents of hazard detector 400 to encase the internal componentswithin the hazard detector device. In addition, some of the othercomponents of hazard detector 400 (e.g., circuit board 700 and the like)are mounted or otherwise coupled with the back plate 600. Back plate 600couples with the front casing 1100 to define a housing within which thecomponents are contained. In some embodiments, back plate 600 and frontcasing 1100 may be permanently coupled together, while in otherembodiments front casing 1100 may be removable from back plate 600 sothat the internal components are accessible to the user, for example tochange batteries of the hazard detector 400.

As shown, back plate 600 includes vents 604 within body 602 that allowair to flow into hazard detector 400. As described herein, an edge oredges of protective play 800 may be positioned adjacent or near vents604 to direct air and smoke to flow from vents 604 towards an internallymounted smoke chamber 700. Body 602 also includes one or more apertures610 through which electrical wires of the home or structure may beinserted to hardwire the hazard detector 400 to the home or structure'selectrical wiring. Body 602 may also include one or more posts 612 thatare used to mount and/or position various components of hazard detector400 within the housing defined by back plate 600 and front casing 1100.Body 602 may further include various apertures or ports 608 throughwhich screws or other mechanically fastening devices may be inserted toattach the various internal components of hazard detector 400 to backplate 600.

Referring now to FIGS. 7A and 7B, illustrated is an embodiment of asmoke chamber 700. As shown, smoke chamber 700 comprises a body 702having a roughly cylindrical configuration, although otherconfigurations are possible. In some embodiments, body 702 may have adiameter of between about 30 and 50 mm. In another embodiment, body 702may have a diameter of between about 35 and 45 mm. In a specificembodiment, body 702 may have a diameter of about 42 mm. Body 702 mayalso have a height of between about 10 and 15 mm, with a specificembodiment having a height of about 12.5 mm. Smoke chamber 700 furtherincludes a plurality of baffles 704 positioned circumferentially aroundthe smoke chamber 700. An opening of the baffles may be approximately1.2 mm or smaller to prevent bugs and other objects larger than 1.3 mmfrom entering the smoke chamber 700 while allowing air and smoke tofreely enter therein. Smoke chamber 700 may be an optical smoke sensingdevice, ionization type smoke sensing device, photoelectric smokesensing device, and the like. In one embodiment, smoke chamber 700 maybe and optical device that includes a light source 710 (e.g. LED and thelike) and a light detecting source 712 (e.g. photodiode and the like)for detecting the presence of smoke. With the light source 710 and/orlight detecting source 712, body 702 may have a height of between about15 and 20 mm, with a specific embodiment having a height of about 18.9mm. An axis of the light source 710 may be offset from an axis of thephotodiode 712, such as by 30°, so that light emitted by light source710 is not readily detected by the photodiode 712 unless smoke or otherparticles are within the interior region of smoke chamber 700. The smokedetecting components (e.g., light source 710 and light detecting source712) may be electrically coupled via wires 714 to the circuit board 900so that upon detecting the presence of smoke an alarm device may betriggered or so that other information may be communicated to componentsmounted on or otherwise electrically coupled with the circuit board 900.Body 702 may include one or more flanges 706 that are used to couple thesmoke chamber 700 with the circuit board 900 and/or protective plate800, or otherwise secure the smoke chamber 700 relative thereto.

In some embodiments, smoke chamber 700 may include other components inaddition to smoke detecting components. For example, an additional lightsource or light detecting source component (e.g. UV light, spectroscopy,and the like) may be used within smoke chamber 700 to detect thepresence of pollen, a quality of the air, humidity, and the like. Theadditional light source or light detecting source component could beused to help distinguish between smoke and a false alarm. In anotherembodiment, it could be used as a particle counter or pollen counter togive an indication of general air quality. Information about the pollencount may be provided to an occupant or occupants of the home orstructure, or recorded on a central database, to help individuals beaware of possible allergy issues. In another embodiment, the additionalcomponents within smoke chamber 700 may be used to determine if the roomis relatively humid, which may cause the hazard detector 400 to falselytrigger the alarm device. If the smoke chamber 700 determines that thehumidity is relatively high, the sensitivity of the smoke detectingcomponents may be reduced so as to reduce the occurrence of falsealarms. In this manner, smoke chamber 700 may function as amulti-sensing unit. In other embodiments, the additional components maybe positioned at locations within hazard detector 400 other than thesmoke chamber.

FIGS. 7C-E illustrate various cross section views of smoke chamber 700.Specifically, FIG. 7C illustrates a front cross sectional view where thecross sectional plane is orthogonal to an axis of smoke chamber 700 atapproximately a mid-point axially along smoke chamber 700. FIG. 7Cillustrates the baffles 704 positioned circumferentially around the body702 of smoke chamber 700. As described herein, the baffles 704 may allowsmoke to enter into smoke chamber 700 while preventing light, insects,dust, etc. from entering therein. FIG. 7D illustrates a cross sectionalview taken along a plane orthogonal to the cross sectional plane of FIG.7C and passing through light source 710 and photodiode 712. FIG. 7Dprovides another perspective of the interior portion of smoke chamber700 and the baffles 704 positioned circumferentially around body 702.FIG. 7E illustrates another cross section view taken along a planeorthogonal to the cross sectional planes of FIGS. 7C and 7D. FIG. 7Eprovides yet another perspective of the interior portion of smokechamber 700 and the baffles 704 positioned circumferentially around body702. FIGS. 7D and 7E also illustrate the smoke chamber 700 beingmid-mounted relative to a component 713 of hazard detector 400 (e.g.,circuit board 900, protective plate 800, and the like). As shown, in themid-mounted configuration, air, smoke, and other gas is flowable intothe interior of smoke chamber 700 from both the top and bottom surfaceof component 713.

As shown in FIGS. 7F and 7G, in some embodiments, a smoke chamber mayinclude additional baffles positioned on a top surface (i.e. nearcomponents 710 and 712) or a bottom surface so that smoke is flowableinto the interior of the smoke chamber from the top surface, the bottomsurface, and/or a side or sides of the smoke chamber. In one embodiment,the smoke chamber may include baffles positioned on each surface so thatsmoke is flowable into the interior of the smoke chamber from virtuallyany direction relative to the smoke chamber. With regard to optical orphotoelectric smoke chambers, a particular concern with adding bafflesto the top or bottom surface is limiting or eliminating the penetrationof light into the smoke chamber, which may falsely trigger the alarmdevice. In hazard detectors employing such smoke sensor technology, thebaffles must be capable of allowing smoke and air to enter into thesmoke chamber while limiting or eliminating light from entering therein.

FIG. 7F illustrates one embodiment of a top or bottom surface 740 thatincludes baffles that are designed to limit the penetration of lightinto the smoke chamber. Specifically, a first plate 742 may include aplurality of openings or holes 744. The first plate 742 may bepositioned over a second plate 746 having one or more slots 748. Whenthe first plate 742 and second plate 746 are coupled together, the holes744 and slots 748 may be offset to prevent or limit light from enteringinto the interior region of the smoke chamber while allowing smoke andair to enter therein. FIG. 7F also illustrates a cross section view ofthe coupled components. FIG. 7G also illustrate an embodiment of a topor bottom surface 750 that includes baffles that are designed to limitthe penetration of light. Specifically, a single plate 752 may includediagonally shaped vanes or baffles 754 that prevent or limit light fromentering into the interior region of the smoke chamber while allowingsmoke and air to enter therein. The baffles 754 of plate 752 may includea labyrinth design to prevent light from penetrating into the interiorregion of the smoke chamber.

Referring now to FIGS. 8A and 8B, illustrated is a front and rearperspective view of a protective plate 800. Protective plate 800includes a body 802 having a relatively centrally located aperture 804through which the smoke chamber 700 is insertable to mid-mount the smokechamber 700 relative to protective plate 800 as previously described.Body 802 also includes a pair of notches 808 positioned on oppositesides of the centrally located aperture 804 through which wires 714 arepositioned to electrically couple smoke chamber 700 with circuit board900. Body 802 also includes a plurality of holes 806 that allow theprotective plate 800 to be attached to or otherwise coupled with circuitboard 900 and/or back plate 600. As shown in FIG. 4F, when mounted withcircuit board 900, protective plate 800 covers the various componentsmounted on the rear or bottom surface of circuit board 900. In thismanner, protective plate 800 functions to prevent the components ofcircuit board 900 from being touched or viewed by a user, such as whenthe back plate 600 is removed to change batteries of hazard detector 400or for various other reasons. In addition, if a user views the interiorof hazard detector 400 through one of the vents 604 of back plate 600,the protective plate 800 hides the components of circuit board 900 fromthe user's view and provides a visually pleasing surface, therebyhelping the hazard detector 400 have a cleaner and more pleasingappearance.

Protective plate 800 also optimizes air flow to smoke chamber 700 aswell. For example, as previously described, the outer edges ofprotective plate 800 are positioned adjacent or near vents 604 of backplate 600 so that air and smoke entering hazard detector 400 via vents604 is directed or funneled from the edge of hazard detector 400 towardssmoke chamber 700. The relatively flat and smooth surface of protectiveplate 800 helps funnel or channel the air flow towards smoke chamber700. Since smoke chamber 700 is mid-mounted relative to protective plate800, smoke and air easily flow into smoke chamber 700 from a bottomsurface of protective plate 800. Protective plate 800 may have one ormore beveled or chamfered edges as shown positioned near smoke chamber700 and/or one or more edges of protective plate 800.

Referring now to FIGS. 9A and 9B, illustrated are front and rearperspective views of circuit board 900. Circuit board 900 includes amain body 902 having a front side or surface and a rear side or surface.As described herein, various electrical components are mounted oncircuit board 900. In some embodiments, these components may be mountedon the front surface of circuit board 900, on the rear surface ofcircuit board 900 opposite the front surface, or on both surfaces of thecircuit board 900. For example, in a specific embodiment one or moremicroprocessors and/or other processor related components may be mountedon the rear surface of circuit board 900 facing protective plate 800while one or more functional components (e.g. an alarm device, COdetector, speaker, motion sensors, Wi-Fi device, Zigbee device, and thelike) are mounted on a front surface of circuit board 900 facing a roomof the home or structure in which the hazard detector 400 is positioned.Other components may be mid-mounted relative to circuit board 900 sothat opposing surfaces are positioned on opposing sides of the circuitboard 900 as described herein.

As shown in FIG. 9A, in a specific embodiment the front surface ofcircuit board 900 may include a CO detector 970 that is configured todetect presence of carbon monoxide gas and trigger an alarm device 960if the carbon monoxide gas levels are determined to be too high. Thealarm device 960 (which can be a piezoelectric buzzer having anintentionally shrill or jarring sound) may likewise be mounted on thefront surface of circuit board 900 so as to face an occupant of the roomin which the hazard detector 400 is positioned to alarm the occupant ofa potential danger. Alarm device 960 may be configured to produce one ormore sounds or signals to alert the occupant of the potential danger.The front surface may further include an area 952 in which a speaker 950is positioned. Speaker 950 may be configured to provide audible warningsor messages to the occupant of the room. For example, speaker 950 mayalert the occupant of a potential danger and instruct the occupant toexit the room. In some embodiments, speaker 950 may provide specificinstructions to the occupant, such as an exit route to use when exitingthe room and/or home or structure. Other messages may likewise becommunicated to the occupant, such as to alert the occupant that thebatteries are low, that CO levels are relatively high in the room, thathazard detector 400 needs periodic cleaning, or alert the occupant ofany other abnormalities or issues related to hazard detector 400 orcomponents thereof.

Circuit board 900 may also include one or more motion sensors mounted onthe front surface thereof. The motion sensors may be used to determinethe presence of an individual within a room or surrounding area ofhazard detector 400. This information may be used to change thefunctionality of hazard detector 400 and/or one or more other devicesconnected in a common network as described previously. For example, thisinformation may be relayed to a smart thermostat to inform thethermostat that occupants of the home or structure are present so thatthe smart thermostat may condition the home or structure according toone or more learned or programmed settings. Hazard detector 400 maylikewise use this information for one or more purposes, such as to quietthe alarm device (e.g. gesture hush) as described herein or for variousother reasons.

In one embodiment, a first ultrasonic sensor 972 and a second ultrasonicsensor 974 may be mounted on the front surface of circuit board 900. Thetwo ultrasonic sensors, 972 and 974, may be offset axially so as topoint in slightly different directions. In this orientation, eachultrasonic sensor may be used to detect motion of an individual based onan orientation of the hazard detector 400 relative to the room and/oroccupant. Detecting the motion of the individual may be used to quietthe alarm device as described herein (i.e., gesture hush) or for anyother reason. In one embodiment, an axis of the first ultrasonic sensor972 may be oriented substantially outward relative to hazard detector400 while an axis of the second ultrasonic sensor 974 is oriented anangle relative to the axis of first ultrasonic sensor 972. The firstultrasonic sensor 972 may sense motion of an individual when the hazarddetector 400 is mounted on a ceiling of the home or structure. Becausethe first ultrasonic sensor 972 is oriented substantially outwardrelative to hazard detector 400, the first ultrasonic sensor 972essentially looks straight down on individuals beneath hazard detector400. The second ultrasonic sensor 974 may similarly sense motion of theindividual when the hazard detector 400 is mounted on a wall of the homeor structure. Because the second ultrasonic sensor 974 is oriented at anangle relative to the first ultrasonic sensor 972 and hazard detector400, the second ultrasonic sensor essentially looks downward toward thefloor when the hazard detector 400 is mounted on a wall of the home orstructure, rather than looking directly outward as first ultrasonicsensor 972. In one embodiment, the angular offset of the two ultrasonicsensors may be approximately 30° or any other desired value.

In another embodiment, the two ultrasonic sensors, 972 and 974, may bereplaced by a single ultrasonic sensor that is configured to rotatewithin hazard detector 400 so that the single ultrasonic sensor iscapable of looking straight outward similar to first ultrasonic sensor972 or capable of looking downward similar to second ultrasonic sensor974. The single ultrasonic sensor may be coupled to circuit board 900via a hinge that allows the ultrasonic sensor to rotate based on theorientation of hazard detector 400. For example, when hazard detector400 is mounted to a ceiling of the home or structure, gravity may orientthe ultrasonic sensor so as to look straight downward; whereas whenhazard detector 400 is coupled to a wall of the home or structure,gravity may cause the ultrasonic sensor to rotate via the hinge and lookdownward toward a floor and relative to hazard detector 400. In anotherembodiment, a motor may be coupled with the single ultrasonic sensor soas to rotate the ultrasonic sensor based on the orientation of hazarddetector 400. In this manner, the ultrasonic sensor may always point ina direction that is likely to detect motion of an individual within theroom or space surrounding the hazard detector 400. In yet anotherembodiment, the single ultrasonic sensor may have a wide field of viewthat is able to substantially accommodate both mounting positions of thetwo ultrasonic sensors, 972 and 974.

As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, body 902 of circuit board 900 also includesa substantially centrally located aperture 904 through which smokechamber 700 is inserted so as to mid-mount the smoke chamber 700relative to circuit board 900. Aperture 904 may also include a pair ofnotches 906 through which wires 714 are inserted to electrically couplethe smoke chamber 700 with circuit board 900. As previously described,mid-mounting of the smoke chamber 700 through an aperture 904 allowssmoke and air to enter smoke chamber 700 from both the front surface orside of circuit board 900 and the rear surface or side of circuit board900. Various aspects of the electrical components on the circuit board900 are now described, the positions thereon of many of which will beapparent to the skilled reader in view of the descriptions herein andFIGS. 9A-9B. Included on the circuit board 900 can be severalcomponents, including a system processor, relatively high-power wirelesscommunications circuitry and antenna, relatively low-power wirelesscommunications circuitry and antenna, non-volatile memory, audio speaker950, one or more interface sensors, a safety processor, safety sensors,alarm device 960, a power source, and powering circuitry. The componentsare operative to provide failsafe safety detection features and userinterface features using circuit topology and power budgeting methodsthat minimize power consumption. According to one preferred embodiment,a bifurcated or hybrid processor circuit topology is used for handlingthe various features of the hazard detector 400, wherein the safetyprocessor is a relatively small, relatively lean processor that isdedicated to core safety sensor governance and core alarmingfunctionality as would be provided on a conventional smoke/CO alarm, andwherein the system processor is a relatively larger, relativelyhigher-powered processor that is dedicated to more advanced featuressuch as cloud communications, user interface features, occupancy andother advanced environmental tracking features, and more generally anyother task that would not be considered a “core” or “conventional”safety sensing and alarming task.

By way of example and not by way of limitation, the safety processor maybe a Freescale KL15 microcontroller, while the system processor may be aFreescale K60 microcontroller. Preferably, the safety processor isprogrammed and configured such that it is capable of operating andperforming its core safety-related duties regardless of the status orstate of the system processor. Thus, for example, even if the systemprocessor is not available or is otherwise incapable of performing anyfunctions, the safety processor will continue to perform its coresafety-related tasks such that the hazard detector 400 still meets allindustry and/or government safety standards that are required for thesmoke, CO, and/or other safety-related monitoring for which the hazarddetector 400 is offered (provided, of course, that there is sufficientelectrical power available for the safety processor to operate). Thesystem processor, on the other hand, performs what might be called“optional” or “advanced” functions that are overlaid onto thefunctionality of the safety processor, where “optional” or “advanced”refers to tasks that are not specifically required for compliance withindustry and/or governmental safety standards. Thus, although the systemprocessor is designed to interoperate with the safety processor in amanner that can improve the overall performance, feature set, and/orfunctionality of the hazard detector 400, its operation is not requiredin order for the hazard detector 400 to meet core safety-relatedindustry and/or government safety standards. Being generally a largerand more capable processor than the safety processor, the systemprocessor will generally consumes more power than the safety processorwhen both are active.

Similarly, when both processors are inactive, the system processor willstill consume more power than the safety processor. The system processorcan be operative to process user interface features and monitorinterface sensors (such as occupancy sensors, audio sensors, cameras,etc., which are not directly related to core safety sensing). Forexample, the system processor can direct wireless data traffic on bothhigh and low power wireless communications circuitry, accessnon-volatile memory, communicate with the safety processor, and causeaudio to be emitted from speaker 950. As another example, the systemprocessor can monitor interface sensors to determine whether any actionsneed to be taken (e.g., shut off a blaring alarm in response to a userdetected action to hush the alarm). The safety processor can beoperative to handle core safety related tasks of the hazard detector400. The safety processor can poll safety sensors (e.g., smoke, CO) andactivate alarm device 960 when one or more of safety sensors indicate ahazard event is detected. The safety processor can operate independentlyof the system processor and can activate alarm device 960 regardless ofwhat state the system processor is in. For example, if the systemprocessor is performing an active function (e.g., performing a WiFiupdate) or is shut down due to power constraints, the safety processorcan still activate alarm device 960 when a hazard event is detected.

In some embodiments, the software running on the safety processor may bepermanently fixed and may never be updated via a software or firmwareupdate after the hazard detector 400 leaves the factory. Compared to thesystem processor, the safety processor is a less power consumingprocessor. Using the safety processor to monitor the safety sensors, asopposed to using the system processor to do this, can yield powersavings because safety processor may be constantly monitoring the safetysensors. If the system processor were to constantly monitor the safetysensors, power savings may not be realized. In addition to the powersavings realized by using safety processor for monitoring the safetysensors, bifurcating the processors can also ensure that the safetyfeatures of the hazard detector 400 always work, regardless of whetherthe higher level user interface works. The relatively high powerwireless communications circuitry can be, for example, a Wi-Fi modulecapable of communicating according to any of the 802.11 protocols.

By way of example, the relatively high power wireless communicationscircuitry may be implemented using a Broadcom BCM43362 Wi-Fi module. Therelatively low power wireless communications circuitry can be a lowpower Wireless Personal Area Network (6LoWPAN) module or a ZigBee modulecapable of communicating according to a 802.15.4 protocol. For example,in one embodiment, the relatively low power wireless communicationscircuitry may be implemented using an Ember EM357 6LoWPAN module. Thenon-volatile memory can be any suitable permanent memory storage suchas, for example, NAND Flash, a hard disk drive, NOR, ROM, or phasechange memory. In one embodiment, the non-volatile memory can storeaudio clips that can be played back using the speaker 950. The audioclips can include installation instructions or warning in one or morelanguages. The interface sensors can includes sensors that are monitoredby system processor, while the safety sensors can include sensors thatare monitored by the safety processor. Sensors 220 and 232 can bemounted to a printed circuit board (e.g., the same board processor 210and 230 are mounted to), a flexible printed circuit board, a housing ofsystem 205, or a combination thereof.

The interface sensors can include, for example, an ambient light sensor(ALS) (such as can be implemented using a discrete photodiode), apassive infrared (PIR) motion sensor (such as can be implemented usingan Excelitas PYQ1348 module), and one or more ultrasonic sensors (suchas can be implemented using one or more Manorshi MS-P1640H12TR modules).The safety sensors can include, for example, the smoke detection chamber700 (which can employ, for example, an Excelitas IR module), the COdetection module 970 (which can employ, for example, a Figaro TGS5342sensor), and a temperature and humidity sensor (which can employ, forexample, a Sensirion SHT20 module). The power source can supply power toenable operation of the hazard detector and can include any suitablesource of energy. Embodiments discussed herein can include AC linepowered, battery powered, a combination of AC line powered with abattery backup, and externally supplied DC power (e.g., USB suppliedpower). Embodiments that use AC line power, AC line power with batterybackup, or externally supplied DC power may be subject to differentpower conservation constraints than battery only embodiments.

Preferably, battery-only powered embodiments are designed to managepower consumption of its finite energy supply such that hazard detector400 operates for a minimum period of time of at least seven (7), eight(8), nine (9), or ten (10) years. Line powered embodiments are not asconstrained. Line powered with battery backup embodiments may employpower conservation methods to prolong the life of the backup battery. Inbattery-only embodiments, the power source can include one or morebatteries, such as the battery pack 1000. The batteries can beconstructed from different compositions (e.g., alkaline or lithium irondisulfide) and different end-user configurations (e.g., permanent, userreplaceable, or non-user replaceable) can be used. In one embodiment,six cells of Li—FeS₂ can be arranged in two stacks of three. Such anarrangement can yield about 27000 mWh of total available power for thehazard detector 400.

Referring now to FIGS. 9C and 9D, illustrated are front and rearperspective views of a speaker 950 that is electrically coupled withcircuit board 900 so as to receive instructions therefrom. Speaker 950includes a speaker body 952 and one or more mounting flanges 954 thatallow the speaker 950 to be coupled with or mounted on front casing1100. Speaker 950 also includes a plug 956 or other mounting componentthat allows the speaker 950 to be electrically coupled with circuitboard 900. As previously described, speaker 950 may be used to audiblyalert an occupant of a room within which hazard detector 400 ispositioned, or to provide other messages to the occupant of the room.For example, speaker 950 may be used to alert a firefighter or otherrescuer regarding the occupants remaining in the home or structure aftera fire or other danger is detected or may be used to inform an occupantof a safest route out of the home or structure.

Referring now to FIGS. 10A and 10B, illustrated are front and rearperspective views of a battery pack 1000 of hazard detector 400. Batterypack 1000 includes a body 1002 within which batteries are positioned topower hazard detector 400. Specifically as shown in FIG. 10B, body 1002includes a battery receptacle area 1004 within which the batteries areinserted. The batteries of hazard detector 400 may be rechargeable orone time use batteries as is common in the art. In some embodiments,hazard detector 400 may be designed to be a replaceable unit so thatupon discharge of the batteries the entire hazard detector unit isreplaced. In other embodiments, the back plate 600 and front casing 1000of hazard detector 400 may be removed by a user so as to be able toaccess and replace the batteries.

Body 1002 includes one or more holes or apertures 1008 that allow thebattery pack 1000 to be coupled with or otherwise mounted to the hazarddetector 400, such as by attaching the battery pack 1002 to front casing1100, back plate 600, and/or the like. Battery pack 1000 also includesan electrically coupling component 1006 that is configured to connectwith circuit board 900 to provide power to the circuit board and thevarious components mounted thereon, such as the smoke chamber 700, theultrasonic sensors 972 and 974, the microprocessors, the PIR sensor(s),and the like.

Battery pack 1000 further includes a radially arranged flange 1010 thatis designed to function operationally with a button of front casing1100. In some embodiments, radial flange portion 1010 is configured tosupport the button of front casing 1100. In other embodiments, radialflange portion 1010 may be designed to limit a vertical travel of thebutton as is pressed by user. The radial flange portion 1010 may becoupled with the front casing via a coupling component 1012, such as byinserting a screw through the coupling component 1012 which is theninserted into the front casing 1100.

Referring now to FIGS. 11A and 11B, illustrated are front and rearperspective views of the front casing 1100. Front casing 1100 includes amain body 1102 having a front surface and a plurality of sides arrangedthere around that defines a recessed region. As described herein, frontcasing 1100 is coupled with back plate 600 to define a housing of hazarddetector 400. The various components described herein that arepositioned between the back plate 600 and front casing 1100 arecontained within the recessed region of front casing 1100. As shown inthe figures, front casing 1100 may comprise a roughly squareconfiguration although other configurations (e.g., circular, oval,rectangular, and the like) are possible.

The main body 1102 of front casing 1100 includes a central region withinwhich the lens button 1200, light ring 1220, and flex ring 1240 arepositioned. The central region includes a surface 1106 that may beflexed axially inward relative to front casing 1100 as lens button 1200is pressed by a user to provide input to hazard detector 400, such as toquiet an alarm device or for various other reasons. Surface 1106 mayinclude a plurality of arms that are attached to front casing 1100 andthat allow the surface 1106 to be pressed axially inward relative tofront casing 1100. Surface 1106 may also include a plurality of tabs1123 that are configured to couple with light ring 1220 as describedherein. Front casing 1100 and surface 1106 may be formed as a singlepiece, thereby eliminating any issues arising from coupling separatecomponents together as in conventional devices. The central region offront casing 1100 and also include a plurality of axially outwardextending flanges 1122 that correspond to similarly shaped flanges offlex ring 1240 to facilitate in orienting and coupling the flex ring1240 with respect to the central region of front casing 1100. Thecentral region may likewise include an aperture 1120 through which atail end or ribbon 1244 of flex ring 1240 is inserted to allow tail endor ribbon 1244 of flex ring 1240 to be electrically coupled with circuitboard 900.

Front casing 1100 also includes a first aperture 1108 a and a secondaperture 1108 b through which the first ultrasonic sensor 972 and secondultrasonic sensor 974 are positioned. Stated differently, the firstultrasonic sensor 972 may be configured to be inserted partially orfully through the first aperture 1108 a so that the first ultrasonicsensor 972 is able to view external object or individuals through frontcasing 1100. Likewise, the second ultrasonic sensor 974 may beconfigured to be inserted partially or fully through a second aperture1108 b so that the second sonic sensor 974 is able to view externalobjects or individuals through the front casing 1100. In someembodiments, the front surface of the first ultrasonic sensor 972 and/orsecond ultrasonic sensor 974 may be positioned in front of the frontsurface of front casing 1100 so that the front surface of the firstultrasonic sensor 972 and/or second ultrasonic sensor 974 is positionedessentially between the front casing 1100 and the cover plate 1300. Inthis arrangement, the first ultrasonic sensor 972 and/or secondultrasonic sensor 974 need only view external objects through the coverplate 1300 rather than viewing external objects through both cover plate1300 and front casing 1100. An axis of first aperture 1108 a may bedirected substantially outward relative to front casing 1100 to allowthe first ultrasonic sensor 972 to view objects substantially directlyoutward from hazard detector 400. An axis of second aperture 1108 b maybe angularly offset from the axis of first aperture 1108 a to allow thesecond ultrasonic sensor 974 to view objects at an angle offset anddownward relative to first aperture 1108 a and hazard detector 400 aspreviously described. In some embodiments, the angular offset betweenthe axis of first aperture 1108 a and the axis of second aperture 1108 bmay be roughly 30°. In other embodiments the angular offset may bebetween about 15° and 45°, 20° and 40°, and the like.

Main body 1102 of front casing 1100 further includes a plurality ofopenings 1104 that allow air to substantially freely flow to one or moreinternal components through the front casing 1100. Air flows through theplurality of openings 1104 in a relatively unimpeded manner, therebyincreasing airflow to the internal components of hazard detector 400,such as smoke chamber 700. In this manner, detection of the presence ofsmoke or other conditions may be enhanced due to the increased air flow.In one embodiment, a collective area of the openings 1104 of frontcasing 1100 is between about 10% and about 60% of the area of frontcasing 1100's front surface. A collective area of between 10% and 60% isbelieved to increase airflow into the hazard detector 400 and/or intosmoke chamber 700. In a specific embodiment, a collective area of theopenings 1104 of front casing 1100 is at least 20% of the surface areaof front casing 1100. A collective area of at least 20% of openings 1104is likewise believed to greatly enhance airflow into hazard detector 400and/or to one or more internal components positioned behind front casing1100, such as smoke chamber 700, CO detector, one or moremicroprocessors, and the like. In another embodiment, the collectivearea of openings 1104 of front casing 1100 is between about 10% andabout 40% of the surface area of front casing 1100. This collective areais believed to optimize airflow into hazard detector 400 and/or to theinternal components.

In one embodiment, front casing 1100 is at least 2 millimeters thick andcomposed of a Polycarbonate (PC) and/or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene(ABS) plastic material, such as those manufactured by LG Chem ltd. andsold under the tradename Lupoy® GP1006FM. In another embodiment, thefront casing 1100 is composed of a ABS+PC plastic material, such asthose manufactured by LG Chem ltd. and sold under the tradename Lupoy®GN5001RFH. The materials used in the front casing 1100 are typicallyflame rated V0 or higher to allow the front casing 1100 to pass allflame code requirements despite having multiple openings or holes. Insome embodiments, the diameter of each of the openings 1104 may bevaried along the front surface of front casing 1100. The above describedinventions and material of front casing 1100 allows the front casing topass conventional flame retardant tests despite having a plurality ofholes and a relatively large portion of the front surface open.

Referring now to FIGS. 12A and 12B, illustrated are front and rearperspective views of a lens button 1200. Lens button 1200 includes afront surface 1202 and a rear surface 1204. Lens button 1200 isconfigured to be coupled with front casing 1100 by attaching lens button1200 to light ring 1220, and coupling light ring 1220 to the surfaceportion 1106 of front casing 1100. Lens button 1200 is configured to bepressed by a user to provide input to hazard detector 400 and/or forvarious other purposes, such as quieting an alarm device. Lens button1200 is further configured to be transparent to one or more sensorspositioned behind lens button 1200. For example, in one embodiment, aPIR sensor is positioned behind lens button 1200. The PIR sensor is ableto view external objects through lens button 1200 to determine if anoccupant is present within a room in which hazard detector 400 ispositioned.

The rear surface 1204 of lens button 1200 may have a Fresnel lenspattern 1206 that allows the PIR sensor, or another sensor, positionedbehind lens button 1200 to view far into the room in which hazarddetector 400 is positioned. In one embodiment, Fresnel lens pattern 1206may include a plurality of concentrically arranged rings that eachprovides a slightly different viewing cone. Each concentrically arrangedring may provide a progressively larger viewing area or cone than aconcentrically arranged located radially closer to a central axis oflens button 1200. In one embodiment, an internal angle of the viewingcones provided by Fresnel lens pattern 1206 may vary from between about15° and about 150° so as to provide a viewing radius on a floor or wallpositioned directly in front of the hazard detector 400 at a distance ofapproximately 10 feet of between about 0.5 m and about 8.8 m. In thismanner, the PIR sensor, or other sensor, positioned behind lens button1200 may easily detect the presence of an occupant within a room inwhich hazard detector 400 is positioned.

Referring now to FIGS. 12C and 12D, illustrated are front and rearperspective views of a light ring 1220 that may be used to disperselight provided by an LED or other light source so as to provide a haloeffect behind and around lens button 1200. Light ring 1220 includes abody portion 1222 and may be coupled with lens button 1200 via adhesivebonding or any other method known in the art. In turn, light ring 1220may be coupled with front casing 1100 such as by orienting light ring1220 with respect to surface 1106 of front casing 1100 and pressinglight ring 1220 axially downward relative to front casing 1100 so thatrecessed portions 1225 of light ring 1220 mate and coupled with tabs1123 of front casing 1100. Tabs 1123 may fit over the recessed portions1225 of light ring 1220 and secure light ring 1220 adjacent surface1106. Light ring 1220 also includes a plurality of second recesses 1224within which an LED (not shown) or other light source may be positionedto illuminate light ring 1220. In operation, light ring 1220 disperseslight provided by the LED or other light source to provide a halo effectbehind and around lens button 1200.

Referring now to FIGS. 12E and 12F, illustrated are front and rearperspective views of a flexible circuit board or flex ring 1240 that mayelectrically couple components positioned in front of circuit board 900,such as lens button 1200, with circuit board 900. Flex ring 1240includes a tail end or ribbon 1244 that may be insertable into acomponent of circuit board 900 to electrically couple lens button 1200,light ring 1220, and/or one or more components with circuit board 900.Flex ring 1240 also includes a central portion that may include a PIRsensor 1250 that is positioned so as to be axially behind lens button1200. The central portion of flex ring 1240 further includes a pluralityof flanges 1246 that mate with the flanges 1122 of front casing 1100 soas to orient flex ring 1240 relative to front casing 1100 and/or coupleflex ring 1240 therewith. Specifically, a channel 1248 between flanges1246 may fit around flange 1122 of front casing 1100 to orient andcouple flex ring 1240 with front casing 1100. Flex ring 1240 furtherincludes a circumferentially arranged ring portion 1242 having aplurality of LED lights 1252, or other source of light, coupledtherewith. The plurality of LED lights 1252 are arranged so as to beinsertable within recessed portions 1224 of light ring 1220. LED lights1252 illuminate light ring 1220 as previously described. A bottomsurface of the central portion of flex ring 1240 includes a pressablebutton 1251 that is actuated as lens button 1200 is pressed by a user.In this manner, input is provided to the hazard detector 400 by the useras previously described.

Referring now to FIGS. 13A and 13B, illustrated are front and rearperspective views of a cover plate 1300 that may be coupled with a frontsurface of front casing 1100. Cover plate 1300 is configured to face anoccupant of a room in which hazard detector 400 is positioned. Coverplate 1300 includes a body portion 1302 having a plurality of openings1306 that provide a visually pleasing appearance to an occupant of theroom in which hazard detector 400 is positioned. The openings 1306 maybe circular in shape and, in one embodiment, have a diameter of betweenabout 1.25 and 2.5 millimeters. Openings 1306 may cover a relativelylarge portion of body 1302. In some embodiments, cover plate 1300 maycomprise a square configuration having dimensions of approximately 134mm by 134 mm. Cover plate 1300 may have a thickness of about or at least0.5 mm and more commonly about 0.6 mm, although other thicknesses arepossible. In one embodiment, the diameter of one or more openings 1306,or substantially all openings, may be about the same as a wall thicknessor spacing between edges of adjacent openings 1306 of cover plate 1300.In another embodiment, the openings 1306 may be about twice the wallthickness between adjacent openings 1306.

In one embodiment, the size of the openings 1306 may be varied such thatbody 1302 comprises a plurality of different sized openings 1306.Similarly, the shape of openings 1306 may be varied so thatconfigurations other than circular configurations are included (e.g.,oval, square, rectangular, diamond, triangular, and the like). Bodyportion 1302 of cover plate 1300 also includes a centrally locatedaperture 1304 within which lens button 1200 and light ring 1220 arepositioned.

As described previously, the ultrasonic sensors (i.e. 972 and 974) arepositioned distally behind cover plate 1300. Openings 1306 areconfigured and dimensioned so that an occupant of the room in whichhazard detector 400 is positioned is unable to see the internalcomponents of hazard detector 400 behind cover plate 1300, such asultrasonic sensors 972 and 974. Openings 1306 further allow air to flowsubstantially freely behind cover plate 1300 and to the one or moreinternal components positioned there behind. Air flows through the coverplate 1300 in a relatively unimpeded manner, such that air flow into thehazard detector 400 and/or to one or more internal components issubstantially increased due to the openings 1306 of cover plate 1300. Inaddition, openings 1306 allow objects or individuals in front of coverplate 1300 to be viewable by the one or more sensors positioned behindcover plate 1300. For example, the ultrasonic sensors 972 and/or 974, orother sensors, position behind cover plate 1300 are capable of detectingobjects and/or persons from behind the cover plate 1300. The sensors 972and/or 974, however, are not viewable by occupants of the room in whichthe detector 400 is positioned.

As described herein, cover plate 1300 includes a relatively largepopulation of relatively small openings 1306. For example, body 1302 mayinclude 1000-2000 or more of such openings 1306. The number and spacingof openings 1306 depends on the diameter of the openings 1306 and/or thedesign or pattern of the openings 1306 used. In one embodiment, acollective area of the openings 1306 may be between about 20% and about80% of the total surface area of cover plate 1300. In anotherembodiment, the collective area of the openings 1306 may be at least 30%of the total surface area of cover plate 1300. Even though the scope ofthe disclosure is not necessarily so limited, it has been found that acollective area of openings 1306 of at least 30% is beneficial becauseit provides good air flow through cover plate 1300 to the one or morecomponents positioned there behind. In one embodiment, the collectivearea of openings 1306 may be at least 20% of the total surface area ofcover plate 1300. A collective area of 20% of openings 1306 may not beas advantageous with respect to air flow as a collective area of 30%;however, the collective area of 20% may be more advantageous for hidinginternal components of hazard detector 400 from view of occupants of theroom, such as sensors 972 and 974.

In another embodiment, the collective area of openings 1306 may be atleast 40% of the total surface area of cover plate 1300. In a furtherembodiment, the collective area of openings 1306 may be at least 50% ofthe total surface area of cover plate 1300. In still a furtherembodiment, the collective area of openings 1306 may be at least 60% ofthe total surface area of cover plate 1300. As briefly described above,the increasingly greater collective area of openings 1306 may beadvantageous with respect to air flow through cover plate 1300, but maynot be advantageous for hiding internal components of hazard detector400 from view. Stated differently, for air flow purposes, a collectivearea of openings 1306 of 50% is generally better than a collective area40%, while a collective area of 60% is generally better than acollective area of 50%. In contrast, for visibility of internalcomponents purposes, a collective area of openings 1306 of 40% isgenerally better than a collective area of 50%, while a collective area50% is generally better than a collective area of 60%. The collectivearea of openings 1306 used may depend on the internal components of thehazard detector, an intended distance of the hazard detector from anoccupant, the function or purpose of the hazard detector, and the like.

The openings 1306 may be arranged with respect to body 1302 according toa repeating pattern. For example, in one embodiment the openings 1306are arranged with respect to body 1302 according to a Fibonaccisequence. Such arrangement provides a visually pleasing appearance tooccupants of the room in which hazard detector 400 is present, therebyallowing hazard detector 400 to be visually attractive and/or appear asa decorative object rather than appearing as a component of an applianceas with many conventional smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors,and other hazard detectors. For some embodiments, the arrangement ofopenings 1306 and the pattern provided thereby may be designed so as toproduce any desired visual effect. For example, the openings 1306 may bearranged so as to appear as an animal, a famous landmark, a trademark orbrand image (e.g. NFL franchise logo and the like), and the like. Insome embodiments, the arrangement of openings 1306 may be customdesigned by occupant of the home or structure in which the hazarddetector will reside.

The openings 1306 in the cover plate 1300 and/or front casing 1100 mayallow the hazard detector 400 to be used for additional purposes. Forexample, in one embodiment, LED lights (not shown) can be mounted on orotherwise coupled with the front casing 1100 and behind the cover plate1300. The LED lights can be illuminated so as to be visible to occupantswithin the room or area in which the hazard detector 400 is located. TheLED lights may functions as part of a warning or alarm mechanism toalert the occupant to a possible danger. Such a feature may be highlydesirable for individuals that are hearing disabled or that have hearingdisable friends or relatives or otherwise anticipate hearing disabledvisitors within the home or structure. The LED lights may not be visibleto the occupants until or unless the LED lights are illuminated.

In some embodiments, instructions may be visually displayed through thecover plate 1300 via LED lights, or an LCD panel, mounted behind thecover plate 1300. For example, the LED lights could be used incombination with the speaker 950 of the hazard detector 400 to helpoccupants of the home or structure safely exit the structure. Thespeaker 950 may alert the occupant to proceed to an exit indicated by anarrow that is displayed through the cover plate 1300 via the LED lights(e.g., flashing or static display). When a home or building includesmultiple hazard detectors 400, information may be passed to each of thehazard detectors 400, or the hazard detectors 400 may be controlled viaa central control, so that each of the hazard detectors 400 displays anarrow that directs occupants to safely exit the building or home. Thearrows displayed may be controlled so as to lead the occupants away froma source of the alarm, such as a fire, or away from areas of high COconcentration and the like.

In a similar manner, the LEDs may lead firefighters or other rescuers tothe source of the alarm, such as the source of the fire. Likewise, whena PIR sensor, ultrasonic sensor, or another sensor, detects the presenceof an occupant in the home or structure, the LEDs behind cover plate1300 may visually display the number of occupants that remain in thehome or structure to a firefighter or rescuer. Such features may greatlyassist the firefighter or rescuer in assessing any risks related to thealarm and in quickly finding and rescuing occupants.

In one embodiment, each opening 1306 may include one or more LED lightspositioned there behind such that as a whole, the entire surface ofcover plate 1300 and hazard detector 400 becomes or appears to becomelike an LED screen. In this manner, each opening 1306 functions as a“pixel” of the LED screen. The LED screen or lights may be used todisplay various information to an occupant or occupants, such as currentCO levels, battery status, various messages, alarm source location,short videos, and the like. In some embodiments, the visible patterns ofthe LED lights can be formed into artistic shapes such as may impressvision in the mind of the viewer. For example, the LED lights may beused to form a famous symbol such as Abe Lincoln, used to form an imageof an animal, such as an eagle, used to form various popular trademarksor brand marks, such as an NFL franchise logo, and the like.

Referring now to FIGS. 14A and 14B, an example “silence gesture” will bedescribed. As shown in FIG. 14A at block 1404, an occupant is standingin room 1412 while an alarm in smoke or hazard detector 400 is activeand making a “BEEP” sound. A light 1410, such as an LED, is provided onan outer portion of the smart hazard detector 400, such that theoccupant 1408 can see the light 1410 when it is turned on. The operationof the light 1410 will be described with reference to FIG. 14B. Sufficeto say for FIG. 14A, the light is turned off in blocks 1404 through1424. As shown at block 1416, the occupant 1408 has walked to a positioncloser to the smart hazard detector 400, which is mounted out of reachon the ceiling of the room. As shown at block 1420, the occupant 1408walked to a position even closer to the smart hazard detector 400, suchthat the occupant 1408 is almost directly under the smart hazarddetector 400. As shown at arrow 1428 of block 1424, the occupant 1408,while standing almost directly under the smart hazard detector 400, isbeginning to extend an arm upward, toward the smart hazard detector 400.

Referring now to block 1430 of FIG. 14B, the arm of the occupant 1408 isextended upward, toward the smart hazard detector 400, while theoccupant is standing almost directly under the smart hazard detector400. After an alarm sounds and the pulse rate increases, the ultrasonicsensor the smart hazard detector 400 “looks” for a trigger to the“silence gesture” period, which is the amount of time the “silencegesture” must be maintained to deactivate the alarm. According to someembodiments, the trigger is a distance change from a baseline, and todeactivate the alarm the distance change must be maintained for theentire “silence gesture” period (e.g., three seconds). For example, ifthe baseline is a distance between the sensor and the floor of the room,then the sensor is looking for an object to come in between it and thefloor, thereby changing the distance measured by the sensor. In someembodiments, the distance change must be significant enough to ensurethat someone is close and likely intends to silence the alarm. Forexample, if the distance to the floor is ten feet, then the requisitedistance change could be eight feet or eighty percent of the originaldistance. As such, the object would be required to be within two feet ofthe sensor to trigger the “silence gesture” period, and to deactivatethe alarm, the object must remain there for the duration of the period.The requisite distance change can be configured based on the height ofthe ceiling and based on the height of the occupants, among otherthings.

Referring still to block 1430, the light 1410 is turned on when theoccupant 1408 successfully triggers the “silence gesture” period,thereby signaling to the occupant 1408 to remain in the position for therequisite period, such as three seconds. Here, the hand of the occupant1408 triggered the “silence gesture” period. A tolerance is built insuch that if the occupant 1408 slightly moves and loses but quicklyregains the signal, the “silence gesture” period will continue withouthaving to start over. As shown in block 1434, the occupant kept the handin within the requisite distance of the sensor for the duration of the“silence gesture” period and, thus the alarm has been deactivated, the“BEEP” has stopped, and the light 1410 has turned off. As shown atblocks 1438 and 1442, the occupant 1408 can walk away from the smarthazard detector 400 and resume normal activity.

It should be appreciated that, in the event the smart hazard detector400 is of a design that receives reliable power from the wiring of thehome (rather than being battery powered), a CCD chip could be used todetect the “silence gesture”. However, such an arrangement may be lesssuitable than ultrasonic sensors for battery-powered hazard detectors400 because the CCD chips and associated processing can consume arelatively large amount of power and may quickly drain the battery.Other possible alternatives to ultrasonic sensors 792 and 794 includepassive IR sensors, thermopile (e.g., thermo-cameras), laser-distancemeasuring, laser and a camera combination because camera looks for dotinstead of time of arrival (Doppler shift), and a full on camera andimage processing system.

According to some embodiments, to enhance the reliability andeffectiveness of the silence gesture, the ultrasonic sensor 792 and/or794 could work in concert with the PIR sensor to make the sensing evenbetter. For example, when an occupant attempts to silence by placing ahand in field, the PIR will sense this, and thereby trigger the “silencegesture” period. The ultrasonic sensor 792 and/or 794 could also work inconcert with the thermopile (e.g., thermo-camera), where both distancechange and heat are used to detect the silence gesture. For example, thethermo-camera detects when human hand is nearby and triggers the“silence gesture” period. Further, the ultrasonic sensor 792 and/or 794could work in concert with the ambient light sensor. For example, whenthe places a hand in the field and blocks light, then the ambient lightsensor know the occupant is nearby and thus triggers the “silencegesture” period.

It should be appreciated that, according to embodiments, similar“gesture” controls can be applied to other smart devices in the home,such as to the smart thermostat, the smart wall switches, etc. Forexample, there can be gestures for increasing or decreasing temperaturecontrols, for turning on and off lights, HVAC, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 15, illustrated is a method of manufacturing ahazard or smoke detector and/or a method of use thereof. At block 1510 aback plate is provided. As described herein, back plate is couplablewith a wall or structure so as to secure the hazard or smoke detectorrelative thereto. At block 1520, a front casing is coupled with the backplate so as to define a housing having an interior region within whichcomponents of the hazard or smoke detector are contained. At block 1530,a circuit board is coupled with the back plate. A hazard sensor may thenbe mounted on the circuit board. The hazard sensor may include one ormore components that are configured to detect a potentially hazardouscondition so as to trigger an alarm device. For example, at block 1540 asmoke chamber is coupled with the circuit board so that the smokechamber is mid-mounted relative to the circuit board. As describedherein, the mounting of the smoke chamber is characterized in that a topsurface of the smoke chamber is positioned above a top surface of thecircuit board and a bottom surface of the smoke chamber is positionedbelow a bottom surface of the circuit board. In this configuration smokeand air are flowable into the smoke chamber from both the top surface ofthe circuit board and the bottom surface of the circuit board.

In some embodiments, one or more additional sensors (e.g. ultrasonicsensors, PIR sensors, and the like) may be mounted on the circuit board.The sensors may be configured to detect the presence and/or movement ofobjects and/or persons external to the hazard or smoke detector. Atblock 1550, a cover plate may be coupled with the front casing so thatthe cover plate faces an occupant of a room or area in which the hazarddetector is positioned. As described herein, the cover plate includes arelatively large population of relatively small openings. The openingsare positioned, configured, and dimensioned so that internal componentsare substantially hidden from view of the occupant, while air is allowedto substantially freely flow to the one or more internal componentsthrough the cover plate in a relatively unimpeded manner, and while theone or more sensors are capable of detecting the objects and/or personsfrom behind the cover plate. In some embodiments, a collective area ofthe openings may comprise at least 30% or more of the cover plate. Atblock 1560, the hazard detector is operated to detect a potentiallyhazardous condition. Detecting a potentially hazardous condition mayinclude detecting the presence of smoke, detecting abnormally high COlevels, detecting heat levels, and the like.

Referring next to FIG. 16, an exemplary environment with whichembodiments may be implemented is shown with a computer system 1600 thatcan be used by a user 1604 to remotely control, for example, one or moreof the sensor-equipped smart-home devices according to one or more ofthe embodiments. The computer system 1610 can alternatively be used forcarrying out one or more of the server-based processing paradigmsdescribed hereinabove can be used as a processing device in a largerdistributed virtualized computing scheme for carrying out the describedprocessing paradigms, or for any of a variety of other purposesconsistent with the present teachings. The computer system 1600 caninclude a computer 1602, keyboard 1622, a network router 1612, a printer1608, and a monitor 1606. The monitor 1606, processor 1602 and keyboard1622 are part of a computer system 1626, which can be a laptop computer,desktop computer, handheld computer, mainframe computer, etc. Themonitor 1606 can be a CRT, flat screen, etc.

A user 1604 can input commands into the computer 1602 using variousinput devices, such as a mouse, keyboard 1622, track ball, touch screen,etc. If the computer system 1600 comprises a mainframe, a designer 1604can access the computer 1602 using, for example, a terminal or terminalinterface. Additionally, the computer system 1626 may be connected to aprinter 1608 and a server 1610 using a network router 1612, which mayconnect to the Internet 1618 or a WAN.

The server 1610 may, for example, be used to store additional softwareprograms and data. In one embodiment, software implementing the systemsand methods described herein can be stored on a storage medium in theserver 1610. Thus, the software can be run from the storage medium inthe server 1610. In another embodiment, software implementing thesystems and methods described herein can be stored on a storage mediumin the computer 1602. Thus, the software can be run from the storagemedium in the computer system 1626. Therefore, in this embodiment, thesoftware can be used whether or not computer 1602 is connected tonetwork router 1612. Printer 1608 may be connected directly to computer1602, in which case, the computer system 1626 can print whether or notit is connected to network router 1612.

With reference to FIG. 17, an embodiment of a special-purpose computersystem 1700 is shown. For example, one or more of intelligent components116, processing engine 306 and components thereof may be aspecial-purpose computer system 1700. The above methods may beimplemented by computer-program products that direct a computer systemto perform the actions of the above-described methods and components.Each such computer-program product may comprise sets of instructions(codes) embodied on a computer-readable medium that directs theprocessor of a computer system to perform corresponding actions. Theinstructions may be configured to run in sequential order, or inparallel (such as under different processing threads), or in acombination thereof. After loading the computer-program products on ageneral purpose computer system 1726, it is transformed into thespecial-purpose computer system 1700.

Special-purpose computer system 1700 comprises a computer 1702, amonitor 1706 coupled to computer 1702, one or more additional useroutput devices 1730 (optional) coupled to computer 1702, one or moreuser input devices 1740 (e.g., keyboard, mouse, track ball, touchscreen) coupled to computer 1702, an optional communications interface1750 coupled to computer 1702, a computer-program product 1705 stored ina tangible computer-readable memory in computer 1702. Computer-programproduct 1705 directs system 1700 to perform the above-described methods.Computer 1702 may include one or more processors 1760 that communicatewith a number of peripheral devices via a bus subsystem 1790. Theseperipheral devices may include user output device(s) 1730, user inputdevice(s) 1740, communications interface 1750, and a storage subsystem,such as random access memory (RAM) 1770 and non-volatile storage drive1780 (e.g., disk drive, optical drive, solid state drive), which areforms of tangible computer-readable memory.

Computer-program product 1705 may be stored in non-volatile storagedrive 1780 or another computer-readable medium accessible to computer1702 and loaded into memory 1770. Each processor 1760 may comprise amicroprocessor, such as a microprocessor from Intel® or Advanced MicroDevices, Inc.®, or the like. To support computer-program product 1705,the computer 1702 runs an operating system that handles thecommunications of product 1705 with the above-noted components, as wellas the communications between the above-noted components in support ofthe computer-program product 1705. Exemplary operating systems includeWindows® or the like from Microsoft Corporation, Solaris® from SunMicrosystems, LINUX, UNIX, and the like.

User input devices 1740 include all possible types of devices andmechanisms to input information to computer system 1702. These mayinclude a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a scanner, a digital drawing pad,a touch screen incorporated into the display, audio input devices suchas voice recognition systems, microphones, and other types of inputdevices. In various embodiments, user input devices 1740 are typicallyembodied as a computer mouse, a trackball, a track pad, a joystick,wireless remote, a drawing tablet, a voice command system. User inputdevices 1740 typically allow a user to select objects, icons, text andthe like that appear on the monitor 1706 via a command such as a clickof a button or the like. User output devices 1730 include all possibletypes of devices and mechanisms to output information from computer1702. These may include a display (e.g., monitor 1706), printers,non-visual displays such as audio output devices, etc.

Communications interface 1750 provides an interface to othercommunication networks and devices and may serve as an interface toreceive data from and transmit data to other systems, WANs and/or theInternet 1618. Embodiments of communications interface 1750 typicallyinclude an Ethernet card, a modem (telephone, satellite, cable, ISDN), a(asynchronous) digital subscriber line (DSL) unit, a FireWire®interface, a USBC®, interface, a wireless network adapter, and the like.For example, communications interface 1750 may be coupled to a computernetwork, to a FireWire® bus, or the like. In other embodiments,communications interface 1750 may be physically integrated on themotherboard of computer 1602, and/or may be a software program, or thelike.

RAM 1770 and non-volatile storage drive 1780 are examples of tangiblecomputer-readable media configured to store data such ascomputer-program product embodiments of the present invention, includingexecutable computer code, human-readable code, or the like. Other typesof tangible computer-readable media include floppy disks, removable harddisks, optical storage media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, bar codes,semiconductor memories such as flash memories, read-only-memories(ROMs), battery-backed volatile memories, networked storage devices, andthe like. RAM 1770 and non-volatile storage drive 1780 may be configuredto store the basic programming and data constructs that provide thefunctionality of various embodiments of the present invention, asdescribed above.

Software instruction sets that provide the functionality of the presentinvention may be stored in RAM 1770 and non-volatile storage drive 1780.These instruction sets or code may be executed by the processor(s) 1760.RAM 1770 and non-volatile storage drive 1780 may also provide arepository to store data and data structures used in accordance with thepresent invention. RAM 1770 and non-volatile storage drive 1780 mayinclude a number of memories including a main random access memory (RAM)to store of instructions and data during program execution and aread-only memory (ROM) in which fixed instructions are stored. RAM 1770and non-volatile storage drive 1780 may include a file storage subsystemproviding persistent (non-volatile) storage of program and/or datafiles. RAM 1770 and non-volatile storage drive 1780 may also includeremovable storage systems, such as removable flash memory.

Bus subsystem 1790 provides a mechanism to allow the various componentsand subsystems of computer 1702 communicate with each other as intended.Although bus subsystem 1790 is shown schematically as a single bus,alternative embodiments of the bus subsystem may utilize multiple bussesor communication paths within the computer 1702.

For a firmware and/or software implementation, the methodologies may beimplemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) thatperform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable mediumtangibly embodying instructions may be used in implementing themethodologies described herein. For example, software codes may bestored in a memory. Memory may be implemented within the processor orexternal to the processor. As used herein the term “memory” refers toany type of long term, short term, volatile, nonvolatile, or otherstorage medium and is not to be limited to any particular type of memoryor number of memories, or type of media upon which memory is stored.

Moreover, as disclosed herein, the term “storage medium” may representone or more memories for storing data, including read only memory (ROM),random access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, core memory, magnetic diskstorage mediums, optical storage mediums, flash memory devices and/orother machine readable mediums for storing information. The term“machine-readable medium” includes, but is not limited to portable orfixed storage devices, optical storage devices, wireless channels,and/or various other storage mediums capable of storing that contain orcarry instruction(s) and/or data.

Having described several embodiments, it will be recognized by those ofskill in the art that various modifications, alternative constructions,and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of theinvention. Additionally, a number of well-known processes and elementshave not been described in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring thepresent invention. Accordingly, the above description should not betaken as limiting the scope of the invention.

Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that eachintervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unlessthe context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lowerlimits of that range is also specifically disclosed. Each smaller rangebetween any stated value or intervening value in a stated range and anyother stated or intervening value in that stated range is encompassed.The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently beincluded or excluded in the range, and each range where either, neitheror both limits are included in the smaller ranges is also encompassedwithin the invention, subject to any specifically excluded limit in thestated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits,ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are alsoincluded.

As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”,and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a process” includes aplurality of such processes and reference to “the device” includesreference to one or more devices and equivalents thereof known to thoseskilled in the art, and so forth.

Also, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” “include,” “including,” and“includes” when used in this specification and in the following claimsare intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers,components, or steps, but they do not preclude the presence or additionof one or more other features, integers, components, steps, acts, orgroups.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hazard detector for use in a building orstructure for detecting a hazard, the hazard detector comprising: a backplate couplable with a wall of the building or structure so as to securethe hazard detector relative thereto; a front casing coupled with theback plate to define an interior region within which components of thehazard detector are contained; a circuit board mounted on the back plateand having a plurality of components coupled to the circuit board tosupport the components and electrically couple the components; an alarmdevice mounted on the circuit board, the alarm device being activatableupon detection of a hazard so as to warn an occupant of the building orstructure of a potential danger; a hazard sensor coupled with thecircuit board and having one or more components configured to detect apotentially hazardous condition so as to trigger the alarm device; oneor more sensors mounted on the circuit board and electrically coupledwith the circuit board, the one or more sensors being configured todetect a presence and/or movement of objects and/or persons external tothe hazard detector; and a cover plate coupled with the front casing soas to face an occupant of a room or area in which the hazard detector ispositioned, wherein the cover plate includes a relatively largepopulation of relatively small openings, the small openings beingpositioned, configured, and dimensioned so (A) internal components aresubstantially hidden from view of the occupant, while (B) air is allowedto substantially freely flow to the one or more internal componentsthrough the cover plate in a relatively unimpeded manner, while (C) theone or more sensors are capable of so detecting the objects and/orpersons from behind the cover plate, wherein a collective area of thesmall openings is at least 30% of the cover plate.
 2. The hazarddetector of claim 1, wherein the front casing also comprises arelatively large population of relatively small openings that allow airto substantially freely flow to the one or more internal componentsthrough the cover plate and front casing in a relatively unimpededmanner, wherein a collective area of the small openings of said frontcasing is at least 20% of the front casing.
 3. The hazard detector ofclaim 2, wherein the back plate comprise a plurality of openings so thatair is allowed to substantially freely flow to the one or more internalcomponents in a relatively unimpeded manner through the cover plate, thefront casing, and the back plate.
 4. The hazard detector of claim 2,wherein a front surface of the one or more sensors is positioned betweenthe front casing and the cover plate while the hazard sensor ispositioned behind the front casing.
 5. The hazard detector of claim 2,wherein the front casing is at least 2 mm thick Polycarbonate (PC)and/or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic, and wherein acollective area of the small openings of said front casing is betweenabout 20% and 40% of the front casing.
 6. The hazard detector of claim1, wherein a collective area of the small openings of said cover plateis at least 40% of the cover plate.
 7. The hazard detector of claim 1,wherein a collective area of the small openings of said cover plate isat least 50% of the cover plate.
 8. The hazard detector of claim 1,wherein a collective area of the small openings of said cover plate isat least 60% of the cover plate.
 9. The hazard detector of claim 1,wherein the one or more sensors comprise ultrasonic sensors that arepositioned through apertures in the front casing so as to be adjacentthe cover plate.
 10. The hazard detector of claim 1, wherein the smallopenings are arranged according to a repeating pattern.
 11. The hazarddetector of claim 10, wherein the small openings are arranged accordingto a Fibonacci sequence.
 12. The hazard detector of claim 1, wherein thehazard sensor comprises a smoke chamber configured to detect a presenceof smoke.
 13. A hazard detector comprising: a housing including a backplate and a front casing coupled with the back plate so as to define aninterior space within which components of the hazard detector arecontained, the components including an alarm device activatable toaudibly warn an occupant of a potential danger and a hazard sensorhaving a component configured to detect a potentially hazardouscondition so as to trigger the alarm device; and a cover plate coupledwith the housing so as to face an occupant of a room or area in whichthe hazard detector is positioned, the cover plate including arelatively large population of relatively small openings, the smallopenings being positioned, configured, and dimensioned so internalcomponents are substantially hidden from view of the occupant, while airis allowed to substantially freely flow to the one or more internalcomponents through the cover plate in a relatively unimpeded manner,wherein a collective area of the small openings is at least 30% of thecover plate.
 14. The hazard detector of claim 13, wherein the frontcasing also comprises a relatively large population of relatively smallopenings that allows air to substantially freely flow to the one or moreinternal components through the cover plate and front casing in arelatively unimpeded manner, wherein a collective area of the smallopenings of said front casing is at least 20% of the front casing. 15.The hazard detector of claim 14, wherein the front casing is at least 2mm thick ABS plastic, and wherein a collective area of the smallopenings of said front casing is between about 20% and 40% of the frontcasing.
 16. The hazard detector of claim 13, wherein a collective areaof the small openings of said cover plate is at least 40% of the coverplate.
 17. The hazard detector of claim 13, wherein a collective area ofthe small openings of said cover plate is at least 50% of the coverplate.
 18. The hazard detector of claim 13, wherein a collective area ofthe small openings of said cover plate is at least 60% of the coverplate.
 19. The hazard detector of claim 13, wherein the hazard sensorcomprises a smoke chamber configured to detect a presence of smoke. 20.A method of using a hazard detector comprising: providing a hazarddetector, wherein the hazard detector comprises: a back plate couplablewith a wall of the building or structure so as to secure the hazarddetector relative thereto; a front casing coupled with the back plate todefine an interior region within which components of the hazard detectorare contained; a circuit board mounted on the back plate and having aplurality of components coupled with the circuit board to support thecomponents and electrically couple the components; an alarm devicemounted on the circuit board, the alarm device being activatable uponthe detection of a hazard so as to warn an occupant of the building orstructure of a potential danger; a hazard sensor coupled with thecircuit board and having one or more components configured to detect apotentially hazardous condition so as to trigger the alarm device; oneor more sensors mounted on the circuit board and electrically coupledwith the circuit board, the one or more sensors being configured todetect a presence and/or movement of objects and/or persons external tothe hazard detector; and a cover plate coupled with the front casing soas to face an occupant of a room or area in which the hazard detector ispositioned, wherein the cover plate includes a relatively largepopulation of relatively small openings, the small openings beingpositioned, configured, and dimensioned so (A) internal components aresubstantially hidden from view of the occupant, while (B) air is allowedto substantially freely flow to the one or more internal componentsthrough the cover plate in a relatively unimpeded manner, while (C) theone or more sensors are capable of detecting the objects and/or personsfrom behind the cover plate, wherein a collective area of the smallopenings is at least 30% of the cover plate; and operating the hazarddetector to detect a potentially hazardous condition.
 21. A method formanufacturing a hazard detector comprising: providing a back plate, theback plate being couplable with a wall of a structure so as to securethe hazard detector to the structure; coupling a front casing with theback plate so as to define an interior region within which components ofthe hazard detector are contained; coupling a circuit board with theback plate; mounting a hazard sensor on the circuit board, the hazardsensor having one or more components configured to detect a potentiallyhazardous condition so as to trigger an alarm device; mounting one ormore additional sensors on the circuit board, the one or more additionalsensors being configured to detect a presence and/or movement of objectsand/or persons external to the hazard detector; and coupling a coverplate with the front casing so the cover plate faces an occupant of aroom or area in which the hazard detector is positioned, wherein thecover plate includes a relatively large population of relatively smallopenings, the small openings being positioned, configured, anddimensioned so (A) internal components are substantially hidden fromview of the occupant, while (B) air is allowed to substantially freelyflow to the one or more internal components through the cover plate in arelatively unimpeded manner, while (C) the one or more additionalsensors are capable of detecting the objects and/or persons from behindthe cover plate, wherein a collective area of the small openings is atleast 30% of the cover plate.